Better memories
by Joyce3
Summary: She's left with nothing and then there's him. WS. Story is complete.
1. Introductions

Title: Better memories

Author: Joyce

Spoilers: Nothing really, except for one from The I-15 Murders.

Disclaimer: Nope, still not mine.

Note: A new story. What can I say? I missed this w/s community I found. A little note before you start reading. I know this story isn't realistic medically speaking. So don't start whining about that. I'm not an ER fanfic writer. I just liked the idea of this and I had to write it.

On with the story, I hope you guys like it.

Better memories 

She woke up in panic, feeling rather disorientated. Her surroundings said nothing to her but she rationally figured it was a hospital. That didn't stop the fear though. Only enhanced by the fact that there was a man sitting in her room that she didn't know. When he started speaking to her she had trouble understanding him. Almost not hearing him over the loud beating of her heart.

"Sara?" he said.

She didn't answer. Sara? Who was that? Was that her name?

"Sara?" the man said again. "It's me, Grissom."

She blinked, finally finding her voice.

"Should I know you?"

She saw pain flashing in his eyes before he composed herself. Trying to explain to her what she couldn't explain for herself.

"Your name is Sara Sidle. You are a CSI and you've been in a serious car accident. You're going to be fine but you had severe head trauma which caused temporary memory loss. Eventually you'll get your memory back. But it could be a long process during which you'll may remember small things every single day. You could also get your memory back tomorrow or next week. The doctors couldn't tell us that."

She was silent, processing the information. Sara Sidle, the name was familiar, like she heard it before. She repeated the name in her head and it gave her a small sense of regocnition. Took away some of the anxiety she felt.

"So, what are you to me? My boyfriend, brother?"

He smiled. "I'm your boss. We..we share a special bond."

She nodded, looking around her. "Were's my family?"

He gestured outside the room. "Right there, although technically there not your family. They're collegues but they care about you very much."

She sank back down into her pillow. Suddenly feeling very tired and not at all comfortable. The man sitting before said nothing to her and she just wanted to be alone.

"Could you..could you maybe leave me alone? I need to think."

He nodded, standing up. But not before touching her hand in a gesture of sympathy that felt weird to her. Like this man wasn't used to sharing his emotions. He left her alone and she fell asleep immediately. Her body still needing a lot of rest.

Grissom walked out of the hospital room, to be overwhelmed with questions.

"Is she ok?" Nick asked.

"Does she know anything?" came from Greg.

"Can we see her?" that was Catherine.

The older man shook his head.

"She needs her rest. She didn't recognise me. Didn't even know her own name. Psycially she seemed fine."

They were silent, not knowing what to say.

"Look," Grissom said. "You guys have been spending all your free time here for the past two weeks waiting for her to wake up. Why don't we all go home to get some rest. We can't help her if we're exhaused. She needs some time. Let's give her that."

They all reluctantly agreed.

"Can we see her when we get back?" Nick asked.

Grissom nodded.

"Yeah, they want visitors with her. She needs every stimulation she can get to get her memory back. For now, let's just go home."

The group made their way to the elevator when Grissom noticed a member of his team staying behind.

"Warrick, you coming?"

The younger man shook his head.

"I'm not leaving her," he said stubborn.

"You're not helping her by staying here."

Warrick looked up, a look in his eyes that Grissom knew all too well.

"Griss, I'm not leaving her."

Grissom nodded, indicating that he knew that he couldn't get Warrick to come with them and left. Leaving Warrick sitting in front of her door. He shifted in his seat, the chair not all that comfortable but he wasn't going home. Couldn't go home, sleep was not an option. Every time he closed his eyes he heard her scream. _"Warrick!"_ Saw her lying there. He came out ok, she almost died. It should have been him, he had been driving... No matter what, he was not leaving her.

Somehow he fell asleep anyway, waking up from muffled sounds coming from her room. Not seeing any doctors around he decided to enter the room. Seeing her trashing in her bed, obviously having a nightmare. He practically ran to her, wiped some hair out her face and tried to calm her down.

"Sara, sshhhh. It's ok, sweetie. It's going to be ok."

She visibly calmed down, slowly waking up. The first thing she saw were worried green eyes. Right in front of her. She blinked and he immediately pulled back, a sheepish grin on his face.

"Sorry, I was trying to calm you down. You were having a nightmare."

She just looked at the man in front of her. He was tall, dark, gorgeous. And there was something about him that made her want to trust him. She couldn't understand why but she felt comfortable with him. While Grissom had only confused her.

"Who are you?" she finally said.

He reached his hand out and grabbed her smaller hand, shaking it.

"Hi Sara, I'm Warrick. Warrick Brown."

She couldn't help but smile at him and she saw that he was surprised by her action. Obviously she didn't smile at him often.

"Do we work together?"

He pulled a chair next to her bed and sat down.

"Yeah, we work together. We're both CSI's." He smirked. "Although I'm a bit better then you of course."

She narrowed her eyes and she saw him laugh.

"You do know this memory loss is temporary, huh?"

He nodded.

"I was just checking to see if there's a part of Sara Sidle still in there."

She looked at him, very serious now.

"Can I ask you some questions?"

"Shoot," he said, leaning back in his chair and she was a bit distracted by his tall, lean body stretching in front of her.

"How would you describe me?"

He looked thoughtfull for a moment.

"You're strong," he said. "Smart, competent, quite funny when you wanna be, loyaal. You're a good person, Sara."

She looked down, somewhat embarrased by his compliments.

"Are we close?" she asked.

He shrugged.

"We're not best buddies but we're friends. We respect each other, tease each other. We're ok, you and I."

"Good," she said, feeling odly relieved that he seemed to play an important role in her life.

"Anymore questions?" he gently said.

Her expression was sad, panicked even.

"Yeah, can you tell me how long I'm going to be this empty shell that I am now?"

He sighed and she was surpised to see a painfull expression on his face.

"I'm so sorry, Sara."

She wanted to comfort him and she didn't even know why. All she knew was that she didn't want him hurting like that.

"For what?"

He was looking at his hands, not making any eye contact with her.

"I was driving and it happened so fast...he came out of nowhere, really. It should have been me. You didn't deserve this."

"Warrick," she said, enjoying the feel of his name on her lips. "You don't deserve this either."

He still refused to look at her.

"Yes, I do," he whispered.

She had no clue why his words caused such strong emotions but somehow she refused to believe that he was right. This wasn't his fault, it couldn't be.

"Tell me what happened," she said.

He looked up, dreading telling her what happened but when he saw how badly she wanted to know he relented. She deserved to know the truth.

"We were coming back from a crime scene and we had a small argument. Something silly really, you wanted to chance the radiostation and I wanted to listen to my favorite one. I looked at you for one second and then that guy smashed into us. He was drunk out his mind and was driving on the wrong side of the road but still...If I hadn't looked at you I might have seen him. Maybe I could have done something."

She shook her head.

"Dont be stupid, this wasn't your fault. If I should be mad at anybody it should be that idiot driver. Don't beat yourself up over this, I'm going to be fine."

He saw the resolved expression on her face and couldn't help but smile.

"Yeah, you're going to be fine. And I'm going to help you every step of the way."

Hearing this man say that made her feel good for the first time since she woke up. She would need all the help she could get and she wanted him to help her. She felt a connection, something she couldn't explain but it was there. Something to hold on to.

They were startled by a doctor entering the room.

"Miss Sidle, good to see you're awake. We really need to talk about your medical condition."

"It's about damn time," Warrick muttered. Not believing that they hadn't been there the moment she had woken up. The doctor looked embarrased while Sara smiled and Warrick decided that this was his cue to leave.

"Be seeing you, Sidle," he said. Automatically going back to his habit of adressing her by her last name.

She surpised him by grabbing his hand.

"You'll be back, right?"

He smiled and she was amazed by the beauty of this man.

"No power on this earth can stop me from coming back, Sara."

He walked away from her and she had a sudden flashback where she was watching him walking away in a hallway. His words still ringing in her ears. "_We're supposed to be working together. Next time, try talking to me instead of going around behind my back."_

The memory confused her but it also overjoyed her. This was a real memory, the first sign of the life she had lived. She watched Warrick turn around and wave and she waved back before she focused her attention on the doctor. Little by little she was going to be ok. With Warrick helping her, recovering would be interesting.

Tbc...


	2. Complications

Author: Joyce

Title: Better Memories

Disclaimer: No, they are still not mine. Go figure.

Note: As always, thank you guys for the kind reviews. A special thanks to Jade and Cecile who inspire me to keep on writing w/s stories! Thank you, girls!

Complications

Warrick walked out of her hospital room, eyeing the chair he had lived in for the last two weeks. He then looked back into her room to wave at her and he saw her wave back. A genuine smile on her face when she did. He heard her ask him _"You'll be back, right?"_ He had been a bit surprised by her behavior. She had been comfortable with him and he had felt at ease with her too. Something that was rare for him. Normally Sara Sidle had him walking on eggshells. She was never aware of it and he wouldn't admit it but he always felt like he had something to prove to her. In the back of his mind she always reminded him of the person he had been when she came to town. He had been reckless, cocky, addicted to gambling and he hadn't even cared until it got a young woman killed. He would always remember her looking at him in that casino, not hiding her contempt for him. In that moment he finally saw himself the way other people must see him too and he turned his life around. But every time he was around Sara a little voice inside his head began to doubt his change. It wasn't enough, it would never be enough. Today the voice had been gone, replaced by the need to help her. Maybe this marked a new beginning for the both of them. He looked at her one last time, seeing her talking to her doctor and decided that it was time to head home, get some real sleep. He would be back after his shift, ready to battle both of their problems.

Sara didn't realize it but she was never a person who was happy doing nothing. Which is why she was bored out of her mind now. Her doctor had told her that she could go home in two days, if all her tests came back positive. He had said that being in the real world again would probably trigger more memories and she looked forward to that. She had a feeling she was solving a big puzzle and a part of her secretly loved that. At least she knew why she had become a CSI she mused. Right now though two more days in this hospital felt like an eternity. She was saved from her boredom by a visitor. A young, handsome guy with a sweet warm smile. It couldn't top Warrick's but she felt immediate sympathy for the guy.

"Hi Sara," he said.

She smiled back.

"Hi."

He was silent, obviously not knowing how to handle this. She came to the rescue.

"You're going to have to help me. There is some recognition here but your name is a mystery. You are?"

He was shaken out of his trance.

"I'm Nick. Nick Stokes. We work together."

She laughed.

"I lucked out in the colleagues department didn't I? You guys all look pretty fine."

She found it adorable that he actually blushed.

"You obviously haven't met Greg yet," he said.

She shook her head.

"Nope, just Warrick and our boss."

He raised his eyebrows.

"You think Griss is fine?"

She thought about it.

"No, but have you seen Warrick?"

He winked at her, a bit surprised by the topic of their conversation. Sara Sidle finding Warrick attractive without even thinking about Grissom was a bit weird to him.

"Hey, I shower with the man. I've seen plenty."

He was silent while he realized what he just said, blushing yet again. Meanwhile she just laughed, already liking this guy.

"You're going to have to tell me what you saw someday," she said still grinning.

"Yes," he said. Quickly changing the subject since talking about a naked Warrick was starting to creep him out. "So, how you're feeling?"

She motioned to the chair next to her bed, indicating that it was ok for him to sit down.

"I'm feeling fine, psychically. It's just hard not knowing anything. It's like I'm here but then again I'm not."

He nodded.

"I can't imagine what that must feel like, Sara. I just hope you'll be back to your old self soon."

"Thanks Nicky," she said. The nickname escaping her lips before she knew it and a smile lit up her face when she realized that she always called him Nicky. Her smile was matched by Nick's who came to the same conclusion.

"Little by little you're going to be fine I think," he said.

"I hope so," she whispered. Before she asked him, "Tell me about yourself?"

The next half hour was spend with them talking about his past in Texas and her asking questions about her job.

"So, what's Warrick's background?" she finally asked. The question on her mind since Nick had walked in here.

He hesitated.

"Don't you think you should ask him that?"

She grinned.

"I don't want every detail. Just the basics."

He shrugged, still finding her fascination with Warrick strange.

"He's a Vegas native and he was raised by his grandmother since his mother died when he was young. He never left this city and he's a damn good CSI. He follows his instincts, which are usually correct. He has a bit of a temper sometimes but he's a good guy and a terrific friend."

She nodded, listening with interest and he had a feeling that this new Sara could cause some surprises.

"Does that satisfy your need for Warrick information?" he asked.

Warrick choose that moment to walk into the room, hearing Nick's last sentence. His grin was playful.

"Already checking up on me, Sidle?"

She blushed a little, which Nick found very satisfying. Especially after she had made him blush several times today.

"I just wanted to know some stuff," she said. "It's nothing special."

"Sure," he said laughing, winking at her and he was taken aback by the fact that she blushed even more. Sara never blushed and certainly never because of something he did.

Nick watched the interaction between the two, inwardly smiling. Looking at his watch he realized it was time for him to go home and get some sleep if he wanted to be fit for his next shift.

"Guys, I gotta book. I need my beauty sleep."

Warrick smirked.

"You know it's not possible to sleep for a year, Stokes."

Nick narrowed his eyes.

"You wanna start something 'Rick. Cause you know you won't win. You just know it."

Warrick laughed, loud.

"Who you kidding? You, my friend, have never won from me."

Nick pretended to think about it.

"Let's see, who was it that got promoted to CSI level three first. Was that..well yes, that was me!"

Warrick knew he was beaten but seeing the amused expression on Sara's face while listening to their bantering more then made up for it.

"Get lost, Stokes."

Nick winked at Warrick before he turned to the female in the room.

"Bye Sara, you promise to take care of yourself."

"I will," she said. "And thanks for stopping by, Nicky. It was fun."

"That it was," he said. Leaving the room but not before adding. "You kids have fun and Warrick, behave yourself."

Warrick shook his head, watching his friend disappear in the hallway.

"So," Sara asked. "Are you guys always like this?"

He grinned.

"Nah, we're way worse normally. But he's a good guy though, a terrific friend."

She watched the font expression on his face, the same one Nick had when he had talked about Warrick.

"You know, that's what he said about you too."

Warrick smiled and sat down on the chair Nick had occupied. Noticing that Sara looked better today, more rested and she was beginning to get some color back. Meanwhile Sara took in his appearance. He looked absolutely stunning today and she wondered how her memory managed to forget a guy like this.

"You look better, Sidle."

She nodded.

"I feel better too and if I'm lucky they'll release me in two days."

He impulsively reached over to grab her hand, squeezing it enthusiastically.

"That's great, Sara."

"Yeah, it is," she said, hesitating before asking. "Can I ask you something?"

He let go of her hand. Settling back in his chair.

"Sure you can, what do you wanna know?"

She tucked some hair behind her ear, buying some time.

"Did we ever have a fight? Because I remembered something. You were walking away from me, angry. And you had just told me that next time I should ask you instead of going around behind your back."

Warrick sighed.

"Leave it to you to remember the bad things first, Sidle."

She was intrigued now.

"So there was something bad?"

He really wished she hadn't brought this up but he realised that he had no choice but to tell her.

"You really want to know?"

"Yes," she said. "I really want to know."

She saw that he had trouble with her request but he started talking anyway, his expression unreadable.

"I had a gambling problem. I used to bet all the time, even during work hours. This one time I left a rookie at a crime scene to place a bet and she got killed. And that is where you came in. You flew in from San Francisco to investigate the case, to investigate me. Eventually you found prove that I had gambled while on the job and you advised Grissom to fire me. Which he refused."

She interrupted, another memory slowly coming to her.

"Because you are his favorite," she whispered.

He shrugged.

"I don't think I'm his favorite, he just likes it that I don't kiss his butt all the time. Griss appreciates it when you make your own decisions."

She had to laugh at that and then motioned for him to continue his story.

"Anyway, we had a strained working relationship after that. Mainly because you couldn't believe that I was still there. A couple of months later I was seen in a casino during work hours and you were asked to investigate me again."

And suddenly she remembered, the scene in the hallway and the kid that been looking for him. The shame she had felt once he told what really happened.

"You went to the casino to collect a debt, so you could pay that kid's bail money," she said.

A huge smile appeared on his face.

"You remember."

She bounced up and down in her bed.

"Yes, I did. I remember!"

He leaned forward, caught up in her enthusiasm.

"Do you remember more?"

She shook her head.

"Nope, that's it. But this is great, it's means that slowly I'll get my life back."

He grinned.

"Could you remember something less painful next time?"

She was serious in an instant.

"That was unpleasant but it wasn't a bad memory. You were young and did some stupid things but I came to an conclusion to soon without talking to you. I have a hunch that we've come a long way since then."

His hand reached up to brush some hair out of her face and he couldn't explain to himself why he did that. He just knew that the urge had been too strong.

"Yes," he said. "We've come a long way."

Sara felt his hand on her cheek and in her hair and felt herself blushing yet again. She instinctively knew that the old Sara had never reacted to him like she did now but she couldn't help herself. She was definitely attracted to him.

Warrick pulled back just in time, before he did something fundamentally stupid like kissing her. He had a feeling that she probably wouldn't mind but she would once she got her memory back and he couldn't take advantage of her in this stage. He laughed nervously and stood up.

"I gotta go. Another shift in seven hours. I'll be back tomorrow, ok? You make sure you rest."

Before Sara could respond he had squeezed her hand affectionately as a goodbye and was out of the door. Obviously afraid of the feelings that were lingering between them. She stayed behind in a confused state of mind, having trouble connecting her old memory of him with these new strong feelings she felt now every time she saw him.

Meanwhile, out in the hallway of her room Warrick was wondering if he could manage helping her without losing his heart to her. He had to try because he knew that once her memory would return Grissom would be back in her heart and he would be left with a broken one. Helping her had suddenly become very complicated.

Tbc...


	3. Promises

Author: Joyce 

Title: Better memories

Disclaimer: If I owned Warrick he would be seen in every CSI, every scene, every minute. So no, I don't own the characters used in this story.

Note: Thank you for the fantastic reviews, it's really appreciated. I love reading your comments so don't be shy to tell me what you think. And now, on with the story!

Promises 

Sara looked around her hospital room, searching to see if she hadn't forgotten anything. Warrick had brought her some clothes the day before, saying that she couldn't leave the hospital wearing a white formless thing. The clothes he had picked out were classy but still comfortable and she wondered if it were her own clothes. She made a mental note to ask him the next time she saw him. She was a bit restless, she had packed the few things that were already in her room when she first woke up and was ready to go home. She was just waiting for her ride. When she heard a knock on the door she turned around with a big smile on her face, the smile disappearing when she noticed who the visitor was.

"Grissom," she said. "What are you doing here?"

The older man frowned somewhat but otherwise his expression was unreadable.

"Warrick told me you were leaving today, I figured I'd come pick you up."

"Oh, that's sweet but you see..."

They were interrupted by Warrick entering.

"My lady, are you ready to face the real world again?"

As soon as he walked into the room Sara's eyes lit up and she smiled. Grissom saw how Warrick returned the smile and he couldn't help but feel uneasy by the display before him.

"I'm so ready to get out of here, Warrick. You have no idea," Sara said.

Warrick nodded at her before he focused his attention on his boss.

"Hey Griss, what brought you out of the lab?"

Grissom looked at his protege, seeing him as a threat for the first time in his live. Warrick had always been many things to him. He thought of him as a surrogate son, saw in him the future of the lab but he had never felt threatened by him and he didn't like the feeling at all.

"I thought I'd give Sara a ride home," he said.

"Oh" Warrick replied unintelligently, feeling somewhat uncomfortable. "That's fine, I'll leave you guys alone. He turned to Sara. " I'll see you later, Sidle."

He wanted to walk out of the room but both men were surprised by Sara's reaction.

"No!" she said. "Don't go, Warrick. I want you to take me home."

He hesitated, not wanting to hurt his boss, who was also his friend, but not wanting to disappoint Sara either.

"I'll see you soon, Sara. It's fine."

She shook her head, stubbornly.

"It's not fine. You're taking me home, you promised." She looked at Grissom. "Would you mind?"

Putting him on the spot like that Grissom realized he had no choice but to oblige.

"No, it's fine. I guess I'll talk to you later then."

She smiled at him.

"Yeah, and thank you for stopping by. That was really sweet."

Grissom walked out of the room, saying goodbye to her but she didn't seem to hear him. Her eyes were focused on Warrick who was picking up her bag. He shook his head, he had a bad feeling about his. A very bad feeling.

Once her boss was gone Sara took the time to really look at Warrick. He was wearing jeans today, matched by a green shirt that brought out his eyes fantastically. She was startled when he turned around.

"Sidle, stop checking me out and move your feet. We're getting out of here."

Smirking he walked out of the room with her following him.

"I wasn't checking you out. I was just looking at you. It's not my fault you had to wear those tight jeans. Get over yourself."

He kept on walking, keeping her from seeing the big grin on his face.

Half an hour later Warrick parked his car in front of a house that Sara assumed was hers. She contemplated the house before her. It looked vaguely familiar and she was glad it did. She had been terrified that there would be nog recognition once she saw her own home.

"Is this it?" she asked the man sitting beside her.

"Yeah," he said, gesturing to the place. "This is your house."

She looked at it again.

"It looks nice."

He shrugged.

"I guess it is."

She raised her eyebrows, focusing her attention on him.

"What do you mean, you guess? You have been here, haven't you?"

He quickly reassured her.

"Yes, not all that much though. Usually when you invited the whole crew over for dinner or something."

He was distant, almost as if he was trying to shield himself and she finally asked the question she had wanted to ask ever since she saw him but was afraid too.

"We really weren't that close, were we?"

She saw that the question shocked him and then he composed himself.

"You want the truth?" he said.

She nodded.

"Yeah, I want the truth."

He thought about her question.

"We weren't really close, we were good colleagues. Friends even but it's not like we ever hung out together. I've never been to your home unless it was with the gang and you never been in mine either without them. We are friends, were friends, but I wasn't one of the most important persons in your life. I think you deserve to know that."

She listened to his explanation and then hopped out of the car.

"Ok, now I know. C'mon, I wanna see my place."

He stayed behind, whispering to himself.

"Well, I guess that's settled then..."

Shaking his head he got out of the car too, following her inside her house. He found her standing in her living room, looking around her.

"Any memories?" he asked her.

She shook her head. "No, just a vague recollection."

She was silent, looking around the room again and then she spoke to Warrick.

"It's so empty."

He frowned, gesturing around him.

"You got some nice stuff here. It doesn't look empty to me."

She sat down on the couch, wordlessly asking him to join her and so he did.

"No, I mean there's no evidence that somebody lived here. It feels empty, cold even."

He said nothing, giving her the time to process all these new feelings.

"Why does this place feel so cold, Warrick?"

His arm went around her and she nestled herself against him.

"I don't know, Sara. You were hardly here to be quite honest. I always used to think that you lived at the lab. I don't think you ever took the time to make this place your own, so don't think this place tells you anything about your personality. You can be tough but you were never cold, I promise."

He felt her nodding but she didn't move from her position.

"Thanks, Warrick."

He placed a kiss in her hair, holding her somewhat closer.

"Anytime, Sidle."

They stayed like that for a couple of minutes before Sara composed herself.

"Ok, I got myself some sweet Brown loving, now it's time to see the rest of this place."

She walked to the bedroom and he was right behind her. A sheepish grin on his face.

"Brown loving?"

She just laughed and winked at him before she looked into her bedroom.

"This doesn't look so bad, it's feels homey."

He waggled his eyebrows, looking at the bed.

"Yeah, it's got a homey feeling for me too."

She rolled her eyes.

"Something tells me that you've never seen my bedroom in your life so stop the macho act."

He grinned.

"Oh, it's no act, baby. Believe me, I could make you feel at home in that bed."

She blushed, looking away.

"I'm sure you could," she said. Leaving the bedroom for what it was, walking to her bathroom.

She looked around, seeing a somewhat sterile room.

"Hey Warrick," she yelled. "The bathroom isn't that great but I do have a bath."

She heard him grin.

"Are you implying something, Sidle?" he yelled back, before he made his way towards her. She pictured herself in the tub with him and figured that it wasn't a bad implication.

"Well, taking a bath together would be fun, wouldn't it?" she said.

She had to laugh when she saw that he was actually embarrassed.

"Cut with the flirting, Sara," he said. "You'll only be sorry once you get your memory back."

He turned around, ready to go back to the living room.

"Warrick," she said, stopping him. "What if I'm not sorry when I get my memory back?"

He stopped, looked at her and then sighed.

"You'll be sorry, Sara. Believe me."

He left her there confused, staring at her reflection in the mirror. Was he right? Was the Sara she saw now a different one from the one she had been before? Would she still be as drawn to him once she got her memory back? She realized that there was no way of knowing. All she knew was that she liked him. Right now, at this point in time, she had feelings for him. Feelings that were getting stronger by the day. When she walked back to the living room she was relieved to see that he was still there. Standing in her kitchen area.

"What are you doing?" she said.

He turned around, checking to see if she was ok. When he saw that she seemed fine he replied: "I'm cooking, I figured you must be hungry."

She frowned.

"Was there still food in the fridge that was any good?"

He shook his head.

"Hell no, Sidle. Your fridge was empty. I borrowed the key Nicky has from your house and came here yesterday to stock the fridge and get some clothes."

She was touched.

"That's so thoughtful."

He shrugged, trying to act like it meant nothing.

"It's no big deal. Why don't you sit down while I prepare dinner."

"Ok," she said. Looking around her living room again she still felt that the room didn't fit her but once she looked into the kitchen it felt right. Him standing there, stirring contently while humming along to the song that was playing on the radio was a memory she vowed she would never forget. She had forgotten about him once but she promised herself that it would never happen again.

He finally looked up, a proud smile on his face.

"Dinner is served, Sidle."

The rest of the evening was spent with them eating the food Warrick had prepared. Sara was surprised to find out that the man actually knew how to cook. It had tasted wonderful.

She put her fork down, after eating everything that was on her plate.

"That was great, Warrick. So much better then hospital food."

He was glad to see that she enjoyed it. Her eyes were sparkling and she looked generaly happy. For a moment he allowed himself to believe that they could always stay like this. He was pulled out of his fantasy when he saw that she was yawning and he realized that it was time for him to go.

"I'm glad you liked it, Sara. Look, I gotta go. You need your rest and my shift starts in seven hours."

She didn't like the idea of being here without him but she knew that he was right. She was tired and he needed his sleep too. She walked him to the door.

"Bye, Sidle," he said. Touching her cheek lightly with the palm of his hand.

She impulsively reached up and pulled him into a hug.

"I don't care what you tell me, Warrick," she whispered in his ear. "You may not have been an important person in my life before but you are now."

She pulled back, looking into his eyes to emphasize her point.

"And that's not gonna change once I get my memory back."

He said nothing, leaned down and pressed a short kiss on her cheek. Then he was gone, leaving Sara alone, a soft smile on her face.

Outside, Warrick looked back at her house before he got into his car.

"I really hope you're right, Sara," he whispered.

Tbc...


	4. The argument

Author: Joyce 

Story: Better memories

Disclaimer: ehh..no, they're not mine. Seriously, why do I keep writing these things. Is there anybody out there stupid enough to believe that they are?

Note: Thank you all so much for reviewing this story! I love it and I want more! More! Keep them coming, people! On with the story.

The argument 

Sara woke up feeling rested for the first time in a long time. She had slept well, feeling comfortable in her own bed. It also helped that she didn't have to hear the hospital sounds at night any more. She got up and took a bad, relaxing in the hot water. She cursed when she heard the doorbell ring. She got out of the tub, wrapped a towel around herself and opened the door to find Warrick on her doorstep. Eyebrows raised, an amused look in his eyes.

"Do you always open the door looking like that, Sidle?"

She shrugged, stepping aside to let him in.

"I wouldn't know," she paused to wink at him. "I would for you though."

He just grinned and leaned against her wall, looking at her expectantly.

"What?" she said. Getting slightly uncomfortable with him staring at her like that.

"Get dressed, Sara. I don't mind seeing you like this but Greg would have a field day."

It was her turn to stare at him.

"What are you talking about?"

He walked over to her fridge, pouring himself a glass of juice.

"I wanna show you the lab this morning. My shift just ended but Griss, Cath and Nicky are pulling a double. I figured you would like it, maybe it even stirs up some memories."

He turned around to face her.

"You up for it?"

She nodded before she teasingly asked him.

"Are you?"

His eyes darkened and she was fascinated while looking at them.

"Get dressed, Sara," he said. His voice a little husky. "Now."

She turned around, not noticing him staring at her when she walked away. When she was out of sight Warrick sat down on the couch. Calming himself down.

"She doesn't need this, just help her," he whispered to himself. He kept repeating it over and over in his head, like a mantra.

A couple of minutes later she was dressed and ready to go. She found him on the couch, lost in thoughts.

"Warrick, what are you doing?"

He stood up quickly, an almost guilty expression on his face.

"Me? Nothing, I'm doing nothing." He changed the subject. "Have you had breakfast yet?"

She shook her head and they left the house.

"We'll stop for breakfast on the way to the lab," he said, promising himself to stop flirting with her.

A couple of minutes later they entered their favorite diner and she immediately walked over to the table in the corner, seeing him smile a bit. She raised her eyebrows.

"What?"

"That's your favorite table, you always sit there," he simply said.

She beamed, looking around to see if she could remember anything.

"Really?"

He sat down and picked up the menu.

"Really, Sidle."

The waitress came to take their order and Sara noticed the woman staring at Warrick, who didn't seem to notice since he had trouble deciding whether he wanted some bacon and eggs or pancakes. He finally decided to have both and the waitress turned to Sara, a surprisingly less friendly expression on her face.

"What do you want?"

Sara gave the woman a fake smile.

"A little service," she said. "And I would also like some black coffee and toast with scrambled eggs." She turned to Warrick, batting her eyelashes at him while grabbing his hand. "Honey, are you sure you don't want any coffee. You've been up all night."

She turned back to the waitress, an innocent expression on her face.

"He always keeps me up at night, I tell him to stop but the man is like a machine."

Warrick just blinked, watching the scene before him in dumbfounded silence. The waitress narrowed her eyes and stalked off, leaving Sara with a satisfied grin on her face.

"I loved every part of that," she said.

Warrick found his voice again.

"What the hell was that?"

She shrugged.

"She was giving you the eye and me some attitude. I just wanted her to stop."

"With the attitude?"

She shook her head, still following the waitress out of the corner of her eyes.

"With both."

Warrick didn't know how to respond to that. Hearing her say that made him feel all warm inside but at the same time he was scared to dead. She had become too attached to him and he wondered how he would handle it once she would get her memory back and everything would be back to normal again.

"Sara," he said, trying to talk some sense into her. "It's not your job to protect me from woman flirting with me. I'm a big boy, I can handle myself."

She finally focused her attention on him, letting the waitress be.

"You're right, I'm sorry. That was kinda stupid, it's just..it bugged me. Seeing her looking at you like that."

He grabbed her hand and squeezed it and she smiled at him.

"It bugs me too when men look at you in a funny way," he confessed. Even though a small part of his brain was screaming at him to shut up.

For a while neither of them said anything, they just sat there. Holding hands. With Sara wondering if she ever felt so strongly about a man before and him wondering if it was to late already. He promised himself that he wouldn't get hurt, that he would get out of this ok but he wasn't so sure anymore. They were interrupted by the waitress slamming their food on the table and disappearing again.

"You just lost your tip, missy!" Sara yelled after her. Pausing to add. "Oh no, wait, here's a tip. Learn some freakin' manners and maybe, just maybe, you'll find yourself a man!"

When she was done yelling she noticed the other people in the diner looking at her and she waved at them, more then embarrassed, before she quickly looked down at the table. When she finally looked up she saw that Warrick was shaking with laughter.

"That was brilliant, Sidle. Remind me to never take you out to breakfast again. Ever."

She laughed too and they ate their breakfast, fast. Wanting to get out of there as soon as possible. When they were done Warrick paid the bill and they left. The other customers in the diner still staring at them.

"Ok, I think I'm banned from this place now," Warrick said. Shaking his head and looking at Sara in a exaggerated sad way.

"That was my favorite place to eat and now you've ruined it for me."

She rolled her eyes, getting in the car.

"Drive, and don't be such a big baby."

He already drove of the parking lot when something suddenly occured to her and she turned to him, a wicked grin on her face.

"So, did you just tell me you're a big boy?"

If she didn't know better she could swear she could see him blush but he didn't say anything. Though she did notice him grabbing the steering wheel a little tighter. She looked out of the window the rest of the way. A smile on her face that she couldn't seem to shake of, even if she tried.

A couple of minutes later Warrick pulled up in front of the CSI-building. He watched her sitting next to him, she was looking at the building intensively and he could swear he saw some recognition on her face. It was gone however when she turned to him, a nervous smile on her face.

"Ok, let's do this," she said.

He got out of the car and she grabbed his hand when they walked into the building, needing something safe to hold onto to. This had been the place she dreaded seeing the most, according to everybody she had spoken to her job had been her life and she was terrified that she wouldn't be able to remember a thing. Rounding the corner they bumped into Nick, who raised his eyebrows when he saw that they were holding hands. He said nothing though, seeing the look of warning Warrick send his way.

"I'm showing Sara the lab," Warrick said, glancing at Sara who was busy looking around.

"Hey War?" Sara said, "Grissom's office is that way, isn't it?"

Both men turned to her.

"You remember?" Nick asked.

She nodded.

"You know, I think I do. Not real memories but I definitely know this place."

Warrick slung his arm around her shoulders, pulling her to him in a short hug.

"Way to go, Sidle."

The gesture was not lost on Nick and neither was the fact that Sara seemed to glow when Warrick touched her. He managed to get their attention.

"Gotta go, guys. Big case, lot's of evidence. Good luck, Sara."

He disappeared as quickly as he came, leaving Warrick and Sara standing in the hallway.

"So, where do you wanna go?" he asked her.

He thought that he already knew the answer but she surprised him by pointing in a direction that was nowhere near Grissom's office.

"I want to go there, I don't why but something tells me I had a lot of fun in that lab."

"Oh, there's something funny over there alright," Warrick said grinning. "We're heading towards Sanders."

They heard Greg talking before they even saw him.

"You know, if you want to have a good time you should come over to my place tonight. We could have fun. Lot's of fun."

They rounded the corner where Sara saw a young guy talking to a female lab tech. He was leaning in the doorway of the DNA-lab and was grinning at the woman in a seductive way. Or at least, a way Greg Sanders thought was seductive. Warrick rolled his eyes.

"Sanders, give the poor girl a break. She doesn't need those couple of minutes of fun you're offering her."

The woman gave Warrick a thankful glance and hightailed away from the DNA-annalist. Leaving Greg with an enraged expression on his face.

"Do you mind, Brown. It's bad enough that woman swarm around you like bees smelling honey but now you're ruining my action. I think that's..."

He stopped talking when he noticed Sara.

"Sara! You're here, how are you?"

He reached over and hugged her, forcing her to let go of Warrick's hand. She returned the hug a little awkwardly.

"I'm fine," she said. "Greg, is it?"

Greg's smile disappeared.

"You still don't remember anything?"

She just shook her head, grabbing Warrick's hand again. Something that Greg didn't seem to notice.

"Look Sara," the young man said. "I'm sorry that I didn't came to see you in the hospital. I was scared and afraid of doing something stupid. But that doesn't mean I never thought about you. I did, I still do."

She was genially touched, sending a real smile his way.

"Thanks Greg."

Greg nodded, for once really serious and wanted to continue when he noticed Grissom coming their way.

"Oh crap, he wants his DNA results and I'm nowhere finished."

He quickly ran to his seat, appearing very busy once Grissom was close enough to see him. He didn't even look at Greg though. His eyes were glued to the picture of Warrick and Sara standing there, holding hands.

"Hey guys," he said. "What brings you two here? Your shift is over, isn't it, Warrick?"

Warrick felt very uncomfortable all of a sudden.

"Yeah, I thought I'd show Sara around."

Grissom nodded, before he said.

"That's nice, Warrick. But this isn't some show and tell project. We work here. I suggest you go."

Warrick blinked.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me," Grissom said. "Go," he walked past them and disappeared into the DNA-lab.

Warrick turned to Sara.

"Would you wait here for one second, I really need to talk to him."

He followed his boss, different thoughts tumbling trough his head. Not one particularly friendly towards his mentor.

"Are you out of your mind?"

Grissom turned to his protege.

"This discussion is over, Warrick."

"No, it isn't," Warrick said. His voice dangerously calm. Greg decided that maybe, just maybe, it was time to take a coffee break. Meanwhile Grissom said nothing.

"What is wrong with you, Griss?"

He turned around.

"Nothing is wrong, Warrick. I just think you need to let Sara be. She doesn't need you."

Warrick laughed.

"Don't feed me that crab. You were being a jerk out there and you're still being a jerk now. Why? Are you jealous?"

Grissom put down the papers he was reading.

" No, I'm not and don't forget that I'm still your boss."

Warrick just shook his head, not believing that this was happening.

"I thought you were better then this, Griss. This isn't about you or me, it's about Sara. She needs help and you're pissed that she doesn't want _your_ help. That she's turning to me."

"She's clinging to you, Warrick," Grissom said. "That's a whole other matter."

Warrick shrugged.

"Whatever works for her, I just want her to get better."

He shook his head again, for the first time seeing his boss as a human being. One who wasn't flawless by a long shot.

"Do you enjoy this sick game you and Sara have, Griss? You never confess her your love but she's not allowed to be happy with somebody else either?"

Grissom said nothing, surprised by the genuine rage and emotion he saw on the younger man's face.

"I'm going back to Sara," Warrick said. "And I don't care what you say or do. Fire me, whatever. I'm helping her, no matter what."

He didn't even look at Grissom anymore and walked out of the lab. Finding Sara talking to Greg, clearly having a good time. Once she saw Warrick she raised her eyebrows.

"What was that all about?"

Warrick forced a fake smile on his face.

"Nothing, he's probably cranky from pulling a double. Do you mind if we go. I'm kinda beat."

"Sure," she said, saying goodbye to Greg. She followed him out of the building.

"Are you certain that nothing is wrong?"

He gave her a encouraging smile.

"Yeah, c'mon, let's get you home."

Fifteen minutes later they were standing in front of her house and she turned to him.

"Ok, make sure you sleep well and thank you for taking me to the lab and buying me breakfast."

He nodded.

"It was my pleasure. See you tomorow, Sidle."

She surprised him when she leaned over and kissed him and not in a friendly way. When she pulled back he whispered. "You're only making this more complicated, Sara."

"I'm not the one making this complicated," she said, getting out of the car. "I _know_ what I feel."

She left him sitting in the car, watching her get into the house. He was startled by his phone ringing.

"Brown," he said.

"Get over here, Warrick," the voice of Grissom said on the other side of the line. "We need to talk, now."

Tbc...


	5. The conversation

Author: Joyce

Title: Better memories

Disclaimer: No, not mine. But I any of you know of a place when I can buy Gary then don't hesitate to call!

Note: Loving the reviews guys, keep them coming!

The conversation

Warrick sighed before knocking on the door of Grissom's office, an office that was never closed. Usually people could walk right in and that closed door did nothing to calm his nerves. For a moment he wondered if it was all worth this but then he remembered the feel of Sara's lips on his, saw her smile at him in his mind and he opened the door.

"What's up, Griss?"

They both heard how strained it sounded and he saw Grissom cringe a bit.

"Sit down, Warrick."

He did, looking at his boss carefully.

"Should I pack up my locker?"

A hint of a smile was seen of Gil's face.

"No, what reason do I have for firing you? You could sue my ass out of here."

Warrick was in shock.

"Did you just say ass?"

Grissom shrugged.

"Working with you for all these years has forced me to learn street language."

The tall man snorted.

"Please Griss, the way I talk has nothing to do with street language."

Grissom just nodded and both men realized how forced this conversation was. There was silence for a while until Grissom spoke up.

"Do you love her?"

"Do you?" Warrick said.

Grissom avoided his gaze for a while.

"You know I do," he finally said. "Which is why I acted like a total moron this afternoon and I'm sorry for that. But..I need to know if you love her."

Warrick nodded, wordlessly accepting Grissom's apology.

"Are you asking me this as my boss or as my friend?"

Grissom finally looked at him and Warrick was relieved to see that this was the Grissom he knew. Not that strange, detached, cold man he had met earlier this afternoon.

"I'm asking you as a friend, Warrick."

He nodded, thinking over the question.

"I don't really know. All I know is that she makes me happy. When I'm with her I forget about the job or my gambling problem and there's just her, you know?"

Grissom smiled, indicating that he did know.

"I know you, Warrick. C'mon, have you ever felt this way about a woman before?"

Warrick was silent for a long while, realization slowly hitting over his features.

"No," he said, "I haven't. The way I feel when I'm with her..."

He trailed off and Grissom saw the inner debate his protege was having.

"I love her," he finally whispered. "I do, Griss. I love her."

"I know," Grissom said and Warrick blinked in confusion.

"Then why ask me?"

Grissom stood up, pacing a bit.

"Because I needed to be sure. Look, Sara is important to me and I never really knew how important until this accident. When I saw you defending her today I just knew you felt the same way and well..that's a problem."

"So now what?" Warrick asked.

Standing before Warrick the older man took the time to really look at him. Noticing the change in him, he had grown immensely as a person. Before him sat a confident, terrific CSI and a good person. A big difference from the cocky, reckless guy he had hired so many years ago. His hunches had been right though, Warrick had lived up to every expectation Grissom ever had of him.

"We try to deal," he finally said. "I don't want to have another conversation with you like we had before. I may love Sara but you...You are very important to me too. Always have been, you know that."

Warrick blinked.

"Are you getting all sentimental on me?"

Grissom winked at him, a real smile on his face this time.

"Why do you think I closed the door?"

Warrick laughed before standing up.

"We deal," he said. "We have no choice."

He wanted to walk out of the office but hesitated.

"Griss," he said. "Just promise me that you'll stop hurting her once she get's her memory back."

Grissom saw the pain in his eyes and he hated the idea of hurting him so much. That didn't stop him from getting what he wanted though, it wouldn't stop him from finally telling Sara how he felt once she was back to her old self again.

"I don't want to play games with her anymore. We've done that long enough."

Warrick nodded, ignoring the pain he felt inside.

"Good, that's good."

The door was already open when Grissom asked him the final question.

"Would you be able to handle it if me and Sara got together?"

Warrick turned back to his boss.

"I'd have no choice," he said. "In the end I just want her to be happy."

He closed the door behind him and walked out of the CSI-building without looking back. Breaking down once he got into his car. He meant what he had said, he wanted Sara to be happy but every time he thought of her and Grissom together his stomach turned. He would have to handle it but he didn't plan on seeing it first hand. If they got together he would wish them all the luck in the world and leave. He just hoped it wouldn't have to be this way. He hoped that maybe, just maybe, she could love him too. Even if she knew about her past. He started the engine and drove of, deciding that he would have plenty of time to think about this after she got better. He needed to focus on her now, his pain would come later.

Six hours later a sleeping Warrick was dreaming about love and loss when persistent knocking on his door forced him to wake up. He got up, still half asleep and walked out of his bedroom into the hallway to open the door. To see a very agitated Sara.

"Sara, what are you doing here? And how did you get here?"

She said nothing, her eyes big and he was really worried until he saw a slow grin creeping across her face.

"Loving the look, Warrick. Really enjoying it."

He shook his head, stepped aside to let her in and closed the door behind her.

"What do you expect me to wear in bed, Sidle? A suit? I like sleeping in my boxers."

She took in his appearance again, having the time of her life.

"And I _love_ that you like to sleep in boxers. Makes me want to come over when you sleep all the time."

"Weirdo," he mumbled, disappearing in his bedroom to find a t-shirt.

"Find a mirror and look at yourself, Brown," she yelled after him. "I'm not weird for liking what I see, just healthy really."

When he reappeared again she was settled on the couch, a look of disappointment in her eyes.

"I like the old look better. Can we go back to the old look?"

He rolled his eyes, trying very hard not to laugh.

"Ok, stop treating me like a piece of meat and tell me what's up."

" Nick brought me here after I called him. I came to you because I was thinking about Grissom," she said and his heart missed a beat. He just stood there, hoping against hope that they could avoid this issue somewhat longer.

She didn't seem to notice his reaction and carried on.

"He was acting weird, War. Almost jealous. Why would he be jealous?"

He sighed, sitting down next to her.

"What do you want to know, Sara?"

She looked at him and was shocked by what she saw, fear. He was scared.

"Does he have feelings for me?" she asked and he just nodded, not wanting to elaborate on the subject.

"Ok," she said. Sinking deeper into the couch and processing this new information. And then it hit her, why he was so scared.

"I had feelings for him too, didn't I?"

He finally had the courage to look at her.

"You know?" he whispered and when she shook her head a big part of him was relieved and he hated himself for it. She needed to get better, even if it meant losing her.

"No," she said. "I guessed, I have no memories what so ever of Grissom. Lately little tidbits have been coming back. Mostly from my childhood and some little things from work. Things about you mostly. I remember us taking apart a car and sitting outside playing cards. That sort of things, nothing about Grissom."

He glanced over at her, a big smile on his face. One that erased his pain for a while.

"You remember all that? Why didn't you tell me?"

She shrugged, looking away.

"I don't know, sometimes these memories just wash over me, out of nowhere really. They mostly come when I'm alone and usually when I'm with you I forget to tell you."

He looked at her with the most funny expression on his face.

"You forget to tell me?"

"Yes," she said, looking at him. "When I'm with you these old memories don't seen so important all of a sudden. Being with you and making new memories with you is more then enough."

She gave him a shaky, nervous smile after her confession and he was lost. Leaning in he kissed her, cupping her face between his hands and allowing himself this one moment of happiness. The real world came crashing down all to soon though and he pulled back, hating himself for his weakness.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that."

"Why?" she asked him. "Why are you sorry? I want this, I want _you._"

His thumbs reached up to stroke her face.

"I know you want me," he said and he really believed that. "But when this is all over...I don't want you hating me after all this."

Her hand reached up to grab his hand and she placed a kiss on it.

"You still don't get it, do you? I could never hate you. Never."

He stood up, placing some distance between them.

"Grissom may not seem like a big deal to you now but he is. You've been in love with him for as long as I can remember. I saw the way you used to look at him, I know how much you've cried over him. How much you wanted him. These feelings will come back with your memory and..."

He stopped talking when he saw Sara standing up. Coming over to stand before him.

"And what, Warrick?"

"And I don't want to get hurt..." he finally admitted.

He felt two arms around his neck and then she was hugging him and he responded by wrapping his arms around her, clinging to her. They stood like that for what seemed like an eternity. Finally she pulled away from him.

"I don't have any answers for you, Warrick."

He smiled, brushing some hair out of her face and placing a short kiss on her lips.

"I can wait until you have the answers," he said. "But I can't leap into this thing, it's to dangerous and we could both end up regretting it."

She nodded, not at all convinced but knowing that she had to do this, for him. This was obviously hurting him and she didn't want to do anything to make it worse.

"We still get to see each other, right? Spend time together?"

He rested his forehead against hers.

"You try and stop me, Sidle," he said.

She smiled, relieved.

"Good, in that case I have a mission for you."

He let go of her, folding his arms in front of his chest.

"A mission?"

"Yep," she said. "When's your next night of?"

"Now," he replied confused.

She bounced up and down, obviously excited about something.

"Great, then you can take me on a grand tour."

"A grand tour?"

She sighed.

"Yes, dummie. You can show me Vegas. Maybe I will remember something."

He slowly nodded.

"I can do that," he said.

She sat back down on the couch, looking him up and down.

"Then get dressed, I don't want other women in Vegas seeing you like that."

He grinned, disappearing in his bedroom.

"Las Vegas, here we come," she whispered. Hoping that this would help. They needed some fun, both of them.

Tbc...


	6. A day in paradise

Author: Joyce

Title: Better Memories

Disclaimer: Boy, these things are getting hard to write. But no, again, still not mine.

Note: As usual a big thanks to everybody who reviewed this story and a big shout out to Jade. You really gave me courage to go on with this chapter, having faith that it would not turn out cheesy, thank you! And a shout out to Cecile who is without computer for a while, girl I feel your pain! Finally I want to say that I know this part is a bit silly, I just felt the story needed it though after writing such a sad Warrick the last couple of chapters. I still have some doubts about this part but I do hope you guys like it.

Ok, this note is getting way to long. Here comes the story!

A day in paradise 

Warrick stood in front of his closet, debating what he should wear today. He finally decided to go casual, wearing a pair of jeans and a simple black short sleeved t-shirt. When he walked into the living room Sara gave a short whistle, indicating that she agreed with his choice.

"Looking good, Brown."

He did a little turn for her benefit and then promised himself that they were going to have fun today. There would be no more talk of Grissom or his feelings for her. Today was about enjoying her company.

"Thank you, Sidle," he said while taking in her appearance. "You look very lovely too."

She beamed and he inwardly smiled at her reaction. He grabbed his jacket and opened the door, motioning her to follow him.

"Ok, let's head out. We're gonna party like it's 1999."

Sara followed Warrick out of his house, trying to forget that he just said that.

"Yeah, let's have fun," she said.

Five minutes later they were still standing on the parking lot in front of his house, looking at each other helplessly.

"So," Warrick finally said. "Where do you wanna go?"

She had no clue what so ever and why was he asking her? He was the one who lived in this town his whole life. Eventually she made a suggestion.

"We could hit the casino's?"

He started the car while nodding and she winced while inwardly cursing at herself. It was never a good idea to suggest going to a casino with a gambling addict.

"Or not, that's probably not a good idea."

He looked at her, trying to reassure her and gave her half a smile.

"It's fine, Sara. With you there I can handle it. I won't place any bets myself but I could give you some pointers. God only knows how much gambling experience I have."

He had meant it as a joke but somehow it didn't come out quite right. He was handling his addiction, had been for a long while now, but he was probably never going to be able to joke about it. Because every time he did a vision of Holly popped up in his mind and he was reminded again. His addiction was not a joke, it would never be a joke. He was lost in his thoughts, being brought back to reality by a small hand covering his much larger one.

"We're not going to the casino's," Sara said.

Leaning in she placed a short kiss on his lips. Pulling back with a sheepish grin on her face.

"I know we agreed to take things slow and wait untill I have my memories back but I couldn't help myself."

He was actually grinning by now, amazed by the fact that she could alter his mood in a heartbeat.

"Why couldn't you control yourself?"

She studied her hands, suddenly very afraid to look at him.

"Because I can't stand to see you hurting, I wanted to make it better."

His hand was placed under her chin and he lifted her face up. Giving her a kiss that took her breath away, slow and gentle.

"Thank you," he finally said. "For everything and for caring so much about me."

She was still speechless and just nodded which made him laugh.

"I have an idea," he suddenly said. He started the engine, pulled out of the parking lot and winked at her. "This is going to be so much fun," he told her. His grin was evil though and suddenly Sara was very afraid.

"Where are we going?"

"You'll see," was his only reply and he kept on driving. Half an hour later they were walking on the strip and Warrick pointed to their destination. She arched her eyebrows.

"We're going to an arcade?"

He shrugged, a playful glint in his eyes.

"Why not? This thing is on the middle of the strip so you can see all the casino's and we can play some games that don't involve any gambling, just some shooting and killing. It's fun!"

She rolled her eyes.

"If you put it that way then I'm all for it," she said somewhat sarcastically.Looking around she took in the video games and the noise in the arcade.

"War, you and me are the oldest people here."

He didn't hear her though, his eyes were glued to a video game that some kid was playing. He grabbed her hand an pulled her towards it.

"We'll play this one," he said decisively.

She read the title of the game; "Bloodsuckers in Space. Are you kidding me?"

He just glared at the kid, who had finished his game and was ready to play another one. Seeing the look on the older man's face the boy wisely decided that maybe it was time to play another game. Warrick took his place behind the machine, a happy look on his face.

"Get over here, Sidle. Take the other joystick. We're playing against each other."

She sighed but had to admit that she had fun watching him being all excited.

"So, how do we play this?"

"Well," he said, completely serious. "We're the leader of a spaceship and we've gone on a mission to see if Mars can provide us any new drinking water. Only when we get there we discover that Mars is invaded by vampires. So now we have to beat them and get water at the same time. We have all these weapons to use. Ordinary ones like stakes and crosses but also this cool lasergun that evaporates the vampires." He glanced over at the screen. "Look, the game is loading now. Just shoot at any moving thing you see. You'll be fine."

Five minutes later the game was finished and Warrick put both his hands up and did a little dance, celebrating his victory. She just shook her head and laughed.

"How the hell did you get this good in Bloodsuckers in Space?"

He was busy typing in his name, proud of his high score.

"When I stopped gambling I still came to the strip a lot, the casino's drawing me in. One day I walked in here and started playing this game, just to take my mind of gambling. I ended up playing it every day for a period of two weeks. In a way this game became my security blanket, whenever I had the urge to gamble I came here and killed some vampires instead."

He looked at her after his story, afraid that she would find him crazy but she just smiled at him.

"When was the last time you played it?" she asked.

He thought about it.

"Over a year ago," he finally admitted.

She nodded, not hiding the proud look on her face.

"Then why did you bring me here today?"

He looked at her with a smirk on his face, ready to play another round.

"I wanted to show you, I've never taken anybody here before and I just needed to share this with you." She was touched until he continued. "And I also wanted to kick your ass of course."

She narrowed her eyes.

"Get ready to lose, Brown," she said.

It took her some time but an hour later it was Sara's turn to throw her hands up in the air and do a happy dance. Meanwhile Warrick was watching with an odd expression of disbelief and complete adoration.

"You won," he commented rather stupid.

She pulled him towards her in a happy hug and suddenly losing wasn't that important anymore. He just held her for a while, being content with being so close to her. Eventually she pulled away.

"These kids are looking at us, Warrick."

He rolled his eyes and look around to see that she was right. They were being watched by a couple of kids who couldn't quite understand what these adults were doing here in the first place and why they were clinging to each other.

"Let them watch," he decided, placing an almost chase kiss on her lips. "There just jealous."

By now the most bravest one of the bunch stepped forward and shoved Warrick aside.

"Get lost old geezer, I'm not jealous. I just want to play Bloodsuckers and you're hawking the machine."

Sara couldn't contain her laughter while Warrick was still processing that he had just been labeled 'old geezer.' Eventually Sara grabbed his hand and dragged him out of the arcade while he got his composure back.

"The game is called Bloodsuckers _in Space_!" he yelled at the boy who didn't even bother to look up. When he was outside Sara was still giggling and he narrowed his eyes.

"You think that's funny?" he asked.

"Yes," she nodded, still holding his hand while walking along. "Now c'mon, move your that old body of yours, I want to see more of the strip."

He followed her, a hint of a smile forming on his face.

"Don't be so full of yourself, you were caught kissing an old geezer in there."

She laughed again and then kissed him right in the middle of the street.

"I would kiss your old bones anywhere," she admitted.

He just looked at her and couldn't believe again how special she was.

"Didn't we agree to stop with the kissing?" he eventually wanted to know.

"Yep," she said while trying to look as innocent as possible.

"That's not working out very well, is it?" he observed dryly.

"Nope" she agreed, grinning in a way that indicated that she didn't mind at all. He laughed too, slung his arm around her shoulders and they continued their way down the street until Sara noticed a bar she desperately wanted to visit.

"C'mon War, it will be fun!" she said, throwing his earlier words back in his face.

Meanwhile he had a look of real fear on his face.

"No! No way, Sidle. No freaking way!"

They were already inside however and Sara sat down at a vacant table, filling in a piece of paper that was lying there that she then gave to the waitress, along with their order.

"You can't make me," Warrick said stubbornly while drinking the cocktail she had ordered for him.

She said nothing but just smiled and waited patiently until it was their turn. When they were announced she grabbed his hand and literally dragged him towards the stage while he was still protesting verbally.

"Shut up and sing, Brown," she told him. "You start."

Three minutes later they were getting a wild applause that Sara enjoyed immensely, even going so far as bowing. Warrick was already of the stage, almost running back to the safety of the table. She joined him a couple of seconds later, a smile on her face that he couldn't recall seeing before.

"I can't believe you got me to sing karaoke," he said, still shaking his head.

She took a sip of her drink, enjoying his company immensely. Warrick had a way of opening her up to life. He didn't realize it but he made her a stronger person and she knew that she wouldn't forget that once her old memories returned.

"Hey," she responded, "You made me play Bloodsuckers in Space, I say we're even."

"We would be if you didn't pick 'You're the one that I want,' he grumbled.

She reached out and ruffled his hair like he was a little kid.

"But I thought you made an excellent Travolta, with the cool and all. Didn't realize you could actually sing though."

"You think I'm cool, huh?" he asked her with an sexy expression on his face, winking at her. He leaned back when he saw that she blushed, satisfied that he could still affect her when he turned on the charm.

"I think you're very cool," she agreed. "But I was a bit disappointed that you didn't want to dance. You could have moved those hips of yours."

He kissed her in a way that was not chaste at all.

"I'll move my hips for you one time, I promise."

She actually forgot how to breath at this point and tried very hard to erase the images that his words projected.

"You're not playing fair, Brown," she said.

He shrugged, indicating that he didn't really care.

"You made me sing karaoke," he reminded her again. "I'm past the point of playing fair."

She stood up, knowing when a battle was lost and grabbed his hand. He immediately followed, mostly because he was glad to leave the bar. He did register that he was getting accustomed to holding her hand and he knew that this was another thing that he was going to miss. Outside she turned to him.

"That was real mature, Brown. Using your sexuality to get to me."

He kept on walking, making his way towards their car that was parked five minutes away.

"All is fair in love and war," he said.

She stopped, looking at him with a curious expression on his face.

"Love?" she questioned and he didn't know how to respond to that. He said nothing and they continued their way. The drive home was spend in an uncomfortable silence and when he stopped in front of her house she tried again.

"Warrick, is there love involved?"

He sighed, brushing some hair out of her face, his hand lingering. He noticed how she closed her eyes and kissed her. She returned the kiss with a passion that surprised him, even after the kisses they had already shared together.

"I don't know," he said in response to her question. Lying to her because he didn't want to make it more complicated. He did love her but she wasn't ready to know yet.

"I do know that we're in way over our heads," he continued.

Sara said nothing for a while, contemplating the man before her. Not able to stop herself it was her turn to touch him. Her hand stroking his face in a gentle, tender way.

"I know," she whispered.

His eyes, that had been closed during her ministrations, opened.

"You feel it too?"

"Yeah." She stopped talking, not knowing how to continue, how to explain and he decided to let her of the hook.

"Get inside," he told her. "You still need your rest and it's been an eventful day."

She said goodbye to him and got out of the car, he watched her go and saw her turn around. Coming back to him. When he got out of the car to ask her what was wrong he was interrupted in the middle of a sentece by her lips upon his in a needy kiss that left him searching for words.

"You want to know how I feel it too?" she said.

He just nodded and she continued.

"It's getting way to hard to say goodbye to you, Warrick."

He had to swallow to get rid of the lump in his throat.

"Can't you just stay with me?" she pleaded and he shook his head.

"You know I can't."

"I know" she reluctantly agreed, a sad look on her face.

She turned around again to go inside, stopping one last time.

"One day you'll be able to stay with me, right?"

Warrick prayed that she would be right.

"One day," he repeated.

Sara gave him one last smile before she closed the door.

"It's a deal," were her last words to him.

Tbc...


	7. Difficult decisions

Author: Joyce

Title: Better Memories

Disclaimer: Nope, still not mine. Who would have thought?

Note: First of all, let me tell you something about the timeline of this story because I haven't done that before. Which is stupid, I know. This takes place at the end of season four but let's assume that Sara never developed a drinking problem. The rest is just like the series so that should give you all a sense of where the story is when it comes to time. Now there's a good sentence :)

Second, as always, thank you all so much for the reviews. They really brighten my day. I love them!

Difficult decisions

Warrick walked into the break room, glad to finally have the time to eat some lunch. He was working a case alone and so far it had been a boring one with him analyzing fibers until he couldn't see straight anymore. Deciding that he needed some food he had made his way towards the fridge, seeing to his delight that nobody had touched his sandwich. He had just settled himself in a chair, getting comfortable and taking a bite when the door opened to reveal an equally tired Catherine.

"Tough case?" he inquired.

She just nodded, taking the same path to the fridge and returning with an apple, sitting in a chair opposite from his.

"This woman, she was in a marriage just like me but she decided to kill her husband instead of divorcing him."

"That's a pretty final solution," Warrick said dryly and he watched her mouth twitch up in the faintest of smiles.

Taking a bite of her apple the pair of them enjoyed the silence before she asked him:

"So, how's Sara?"

She inwardly smiled at the way his eyes lit up when she mentioned Sara's name but otherwise his face was a blank mask.

"Fine," he said shrugging. "I guess she's fine. Why are you asking me?"

She was openly laughing now, even more so when she saw the offended expression on his face.

"Come on, Rick. Everybody knows that you're the one to talk to concerning Sara."

He stood up, apparently to throw away the last bit of his sandwich but she knew he was just stalling, not wanting to talk about it.

"It's complicated, Cath," he eventually admitted.

He said goodbye to her and was ready to walk out of the break room when her voice stopped him.

"Do you love her, Rick?"

He said nothing but his expression told her everything she needed to know.

"You do, I can tell. It will work out fine, I promise."

He trailed back to her, sitting back down again.

"But what about Grissom?"

"What about him?" she said with an obviously confused expression on her face.

He rubbed his temples in a tired motion and she could see that this had been bothering him for a while now.

"They have this history and once that comes back...What will I have?"

She grabbed his hand, which made him look up and she was shocked to see actual fear in his eyes. Warrick Brown never showed his emotions and the fact that he did now made it clear how much Sara had come to mean to him. She tried to reassure him.

"You already have the courage to admit that you love her. Something Grissom has never done. Don't sell yourself short and try to have some faith in her."

He nodded, a thankful smile on his face and stood up to continue his work.

"Thanks, Cath," he said to her before he disappeared into the lab.

She just shrugged to indicate that is was no big deal and then stood up herself to get ready for her talk with the wife of the victim.

"Good luck, Rick," she whispered before work occupied her thoughts again.

Several hours later Warrick was happy to collapse onto his bed, sleeping almost instantly. When he woke up a good eight hours later he took the time to take a shower and cook some food, enjoying his time of. He was just debating whether or not he should go see Sara when there was a knock on his door and he smiled to himself. Apparently she had beaten him to it.

"Sidle," he said while opening the door. "What a nice surprise."

She raised her eyebrows, a confused look in her eyes.

"How did you know it was me?"

She took of her coat and her shoes while he replied, a teasing smirk on his face.

"I cancelled al the other dates I had planned for today, it had to be you."

She was mocking him, pretending to be al flattered and he just leaned back and watched her, amused.

"You did that for me? Gosh, how nice of you."

Warrick made his move and trapped her between the wall and his body, hovering above her.

"I'm a nice guy," he reminded her, wrapping his arms around her.

"I guess I'll take your word for it," she mumbled before she kissed him and he happily kissed her back, pulling her even closer. When they pulled apart she was panting for breath and he was just watching her, marking a memory of her standing there looking all flushed.

"So," he asked, pulling himself out of his trance and her embrace. "What brings you here? Besides my fine body of course."

Sara rolled her eyes but she was grinning.

"I had to see you, it was getting lonely at home."

He walked into the living room, his back to her and shaking his head.

"So you missed me, Sidle. How sweet."

He felt two arms rap themselves around him and stopped walking, enjoying the feel of her body against his.

"You know I missed you, Brown. Don't play stupid with me."

Warrick closed his eyes, savoring the moment, before he turned around while making sure her arms stayed securely wrapped around his middle.

"You must really like me then?" he asked her quietly and she just smiled and kissed him again.

It took some time to regain their composure but eventually they found their way to the couch, her snuggling up to him while watching television.

"This feels good," she told him.

She could feel him smile in her hair.

"Yeah, it does," he replied.

They continued to watch Law and Order, where an interrogation scene was going on. Sara was watching the scene while stealing a glance at Warrick every so often when a memory washed over her.

_She is standing behind a glass wall, looking into the interrogation room and hearing him talk._

"_But then, all of a sudden, we get a second chance. Somebody young and beautiful shows up, somebody we could care about. She offers us a new life with her, but we have a big decision to make, right? Because we have to risk everything we've worked for in order to have her. I couldn't do it, but you did_."

And just like that all hope is gone and all she feels is empty and desperate. His words keep ringing in her ears: I couldn't do it. I couldn't it. I couldn't do it.

She was brought back to the present by a voice calling her name.

"Sara? Sara? Are you ok?" Warrick asked her, looking worried.

She looked at him, still feeling the hurt from the memory that washed over her and she suddenly understood how strong her feelings were, why Warrick was so scared.

"He could never do it," she whispered and she saw him blinking in confusion.

"What?" he needed to know.

She realized that he hadn't been there and she hated that she had to explain it to him.

"Grissom, he could never do it."

He fought the jealousy that name stirred up in him, although he wasn't sure he was doing a good job because when she looked at him she winced and there was a guilty expression on her face. He worked up the courage to find his voice again, needing to ask her this.

"What did you remember, Sara?"

It was pretty obvious that she had to fight back her tears and when she spoke her voice was a whisper.

"I was watching Grissom talking to some guy in the interrogation room and he was telling him about a young beautiful woman showing up and offering him a new life. He then told the guy that he could never take that offer and I just stood there, hearing him say that. It hurt so much, War."

Even though his world was falling apart he still felt the need to comfort her so he wrapped his arms around her. She was more important now, she would always be more important.

"I really did love him," she told him and he heard the amazement in her voice.

He pulled back, a shaky laugh on his face. One that he was desperately trying to hold onto.

"I told you so," he commented, trying to make a joke although it failed on the both of them.

She just stayed silent, processing these feelings of longing that washed over her. She could stil feel them and it scared her to the bone because she couldn't place these feelings with the ones she was having in the present. How did this longing she felt for Grissom fit in with the shudder she still felt whenever Warrick looked at her like he did now, with worry and compassion in his eyes. She could see the hurt behind it and all she wanted to do was kiss him and make the pain go away.

"Why did I love him, Warrick?" she asked and he shrugged, not knowing what to say.

"I don't know, Sidle. I'm the wrong person to ask," he finally admitted.

They sat next to each other, with her still clinging to him but both felt the change and Warrick knew that there was only one solution that would help her get better, even if it would kill him.

"You need to go see him," he told her and she pulled away from him.

"You want me to go to Grissom?" The question was asked with a certain amount of resentment and adoration.

"Yes," he nodded. "I think that being with him will help you stir up new memories. There's a reason that a memorie of Grissom came back to you and you need to explore where it will lead you."

She was really crying now and his hands reached up to brush some tears away.

"But what if it leads me away from you?" she asked in a voice that made him want to hold her and never let go.

He shook his head, in a stubborn and convincing way and he really didn't know if he was trying to convince her or him.

"I won't lead you away from me, I won't let that happen but you need to confront this in order to get better and I want you to get better, sweetie."

She smiled at the endearment, a shiver running through her and then she remembered another time when Grissom had called her sweetie too and the memorie only added to her confusion.

"He called me that once," she confessed in a small voice.

"I know," Warrick said, remembering that she had come to him in the locker room and told him about it. He still saw the blush on her face and the sparkle in her eyes and it pained him to to think about it. "Go see him, Sara," he urged her.

"What, now?"

He just nodded, wanting this over with. Wanting her gone before he would lock her in his house, making sure she would always stay with him.

"He's coming back to you. Go to him."

Sara stood up, still crying and he didn't even think she knew that.

"Please come with me," she begged and she reached her hand out to him.

He placed a kiss on it.

"You know I can't. You need to do this alone."

Her eyes were big and she just stood there, watching him.

"Then what will you do?"

He gave her a smile and it relieved her to see that it was a genuine one.

"I'll stay here and have faith in you," he said to her.

She slowly turned around, knowing that he was right. She needed to do this, she had to see Grissom, be with him. She grabbed her coat and when she turned back to him the smile was gone along with his mask. He was sitting there showing her how afraid he was and she ran back to him and kissed him, desperately. Not knowing if she was making a commitment to him or saying goodbye.

He finally pulled herself away from her.

"Go get yourself some memories, Sidle."

She turned to him one last time.

"You'll be here if I need you?"

"Always," was his reply and then she was gone.

Tbc...


	8. The other part of me

Author: Joyce

Title: Better memories

Disclaimer: Nope, still don't own Sara or Warrick. Never will either.

Note: Thank you, thank you, thank you! I love all the reviews! This chapter is dedicated to the pen and the notepad I had with me while writing this on the subway and of course it's dedicated to everyone taking the time to read this. It's very much appreciated and don't hesitate to tell me what you think. In other words, review!

The other part of me 

Grissom was disturbed when there was a knock on his door, since he had been engrossed in his case. His frown quickly disappeared though, to be replaced by a mixture of joy and surprise when he noticed who the visitor was.

"Sara," he said but seeing that she had been crying he stopped talking, not knowing what had happened. Why she was here.

She just stood there, watching him while slowly approaching him and he felt like she was studying him. It made him see a glimpse of the old Sara, of the person that she had been.

"What are you doing here?" he eventually wanted to know, her silence making him nervous.

She smiled, in a sad way and finally replied:

"He sent me here, you know?"

Her answer only added to his growing confusion.

"Who did? Warrick?"

"Yes," she said, giving him a glare that indicated that she found it a stupid question.

"Who else?"

He choose to ignore her comment and asked her a question of his own.

"Why did he sent you here?"

She looked into his eyes and he was scared to see that he really didn't know her anymore. There was a piece of Sara there that he recognized but the larger part of her...He didn't want to dwell on that part for to long and was saved by her voice shaking him from his thoughts.

"Because I remembered, Grissom. I remembered."

"Everything?" he wanted to know, not hiding his excitement and hope. The first good emotions he had experienced since she had been injured.

"Is there really that much to remember?" she inquired and the question hurt him, more then he cared to admit.

"Yes," he said while nodding passionately. "There is, we've been given a second chance, Sara. And I won't let it go to waste, I will never let _you_ go to waste again."

She didn't respond to that, her eyes avoiding his and she studied his office instead. Looking at an object in the corner of the room for a long time. He followed her gaze and waited for her to speak.

"You bought me a plant once," she said, not taking her eyes of the one in his office. "I was ready to pack up and leave and you bought me a plant!"

He was taken aback by the anger in her voice and wanted to say something when she continued.

"You want to know what he did?" she trailed of but this time he didn't need to ask her who she meant. He knew.

"He called me," she continued. "He never did but that day he called me and said: Stay Sidle, we need you. He wasn't afraid to tell me that, even back then. But you always were. Why Grissom?"

"Because I was a fool," Grissom admitted. "But not anymore, things have changed. I need you, Sara."

A small smile was seen on her face and then it was gone.

"Things have changed," she spoke thoughtfully. "There's this wonderful man waiting for me at home and I'm here, talking to you because she can't seem to let you go."

"Who's she?" he asked.

She stood up and started pacing.

"The old Sara, the one that wanted you desperately. Who would have given her life to hear you say that. But the thing is, I don't know if I still want that anymore."

"You want Warrick now?" the scientist in him made him whisper, the one who always wanted to know everything.

"I don't know," she answered honestly. "All I know is that a part of me is happy to hear you say to you need me and another part of me is thinking of him. He was so scared but he made me go because he would do anything for me. I just don't know what I want anymore."

He stood up and hugged her, still finding this affection to be uncomfortable but he was willing to do it if it would make her stay with him. She relaxed somewhat against him but couldn't help but think of a taller man holding her. His embrace relaxed, trusting, completely letting his guard down.

"Thanks," she smiled at him once he released her and she was meant it. She knew this had been a big step for him. "But I can't do this right now, it's to hard, Grissom. I need to think."

"Ok," he said, reluctantly taking a step back. Not really wanting to let her go, not when she had finally come to him.

"Ok," she repeated, looking at him again before she left the office.

"Sara," he called after her and she turned around. "We shared something for so long, we deserve this. Please remember that."

She just frowned, not really liking the fact that he was pushing the issue and left him, wandering through the lab a bit. New memories coming to her at every corner. Warrick had been right, the memory of Grissom had been a trigger and bit by bit her memories were returning to her. That did nothing to make her confusion go away though. The added memories of her old life only made it worse. She remembered a young, crazy for her career, woman with a lot of problems. Most of them attached to her boss and then she remembered the person she had been with Warrick after the accident. Carefree, happy for once. And to an extent he had even made her happy before the accident. He challenged her, made her laugh and he never played games with her. She turned a corner and bumped into Greg, who had a huge smile on his face once he recognized her.

"Greggo," she said, smiling at him and his smile got even bigger.

"Did you just call me Greggo?" he wanted to know and she just nodded. "Are your memories coming back to you?"

"You know what," she said, for the first time getting excited about the prospect that she was actually getting better. "I think they are!"

Greg pumped his fist in the air, shouting something that sounded remarkably like 'Woohoo' before he lifted her up in a bear hug to spin her around. She just laughed and let him spin her, enjoying his happiness.

"That's great," he told her once he put her down. "Have you told the guys yet? Does Nick know and Warrick and have you told Griss yet?"

She laughed, shaking her head.

"Nicky doesn't know yet but if my memories serve me right you might tell him soon, with you being the Gossip Inquirer around here."

He blushed with she found adorable.

"I don't always tell stuff to other people," he mumbled.

"Sure you don't, Greg," she said to him sincerly while winking at him. "Now, if you excuse me, I need to see someone. I'll see you soon."

"I can't wait," the lab tech said to her and she waved before she left the lab, heading towards Warrick.

When she got to his place she knocked on the door, only to find him gone which surprised her a bit until she figured out where he might be. She left his place again, finding him half an hour later. Where she predicted he would be.

"So, you're going to be the number one 'Bloodsuckers in Space' player?"

She startled him, she could see that but he didn't look up from the game he was playing. He kept shooting, his eyes fixated on his targets.

"I needed my security blanket," she finally heard him say and it shocked her that she could have such an effect on him.

She lightly touched his arm, he still kept shooting but she could see some of the tension draining from his body. He still refused to look at her though.

"You thought about gambling?"

"No," he replied shortly, shaking his head. "I thought about going to that office and dragging you out and since that wasn't such a good idea... I came here."

She had to giggle and that made him look at her, eyebrows raised.

"I'm glad to see you find this funny."

She just laughed harder before she explained.

"I was in there hoping you would come and rescue me so the fact that you actually thought about it.. Well, it's sweet."

"It was that bad?" he inquired.

"Yes and no," she answered vaguely. "I don't want to talk about it here. Can you finish your game so we can talk?"

He left the machine immediately.

"Done, let's go." He took her by the hand and led her out of the arcade and the familiar shiver went trough her once he touched her.

"My place?" he said and she could see that he was still scared, even though he tried very hard not to show it.

She just nodded and they made their way to his car.

"How did you get here, Sidle?"

She grinned at him, putting some hair behind her ears and she could see his eyes following her movements.

"I figured out the bus system from your house, it wasn't that hard."

He nodded, lost in thought and in silence they drove home. She didn't dare to speak because truth to be told she didn't know what she could tell him but for now it was enough to just be with him. She knew that once they got home they would have to talk but at this moment she just wanted to sit here and pretend that everything was alright. The drive was over before she knew it and a couple of minutes later they found themselves on the couch.

"Ok." Warrick said. "Tell me about it, Sara."

She grabbed his hand, wanting to feel his touch while she told her story.

"He told me he needed me and he wants us to be together. I think this time he's really ready for it."

Warrick forced a smile on his face.

"That's great, Sidle. It's what you always wanted."

"Yeah," she said, still holding his hand. "A part of me still wants it. When he told me that he needed me, I don't know, I felt someting but..."

"But what?" Warrick asked, hoping he could hear her over the loud beating of his heart.

"I kept thinking of you," she confessed. "He was saying everything I always wanted him to say and I saw you sitting here on the couch and..."

He sighed, interrupting her.

"Look, Sara, I think it's sweet that you feel guilty about what it would do to me but don't worry about me. I'll be fine, just do what your heart wants."

"You don't get it, Brown," she said, a somewhat angry look in her eyes. "It was not guilt. If I go for Grissom I can never be with you again, never touch you again. That hurts, ok. You have no idea how much that thought hurts."

His hand caressed her cheek and she closed her eyes, enjoying the familiar sensations of his hands on her skin.

"So, now what?" he asked her.

Her eyes fluttered open.

"I don't know," she whispered. "I want you, I do, but I don't know if I'm ready..."

"To let him go?" he finished for her and she just closed her eyes again, nodding.

She wrapped her arms around him and he responded by hugging her fiercely. In an almost desperate way.

"I'm so sorry, Warrick."

He smiled, pulled back somewhat to brush some hair out of her face.

"Don't be, you take all the time you need. I'll wait."

"Why?" she wanted to know. Really not getting why he was letting her hurt him like this.

He grinned, before he kissed her and she let him, not able to stop him. Not wanting to stop him.

"Isn't it obvious, Sidle," he whispered once he let go of her. "I love you."

She just blinked, processing what he just said. She saw the sincerity in his eyes, he was sitting there offering her his soul and she smiled.

"I love you too," she said and she really meant it.

He nodded, actualy believing her. He didn't doubt that she loved him, he just wasn't sure that she loved him enough.

"Ok," he decided. "Enough about this, tell me about the rest of your visit. Did it at least trigger any memories?"

Her eyes sparkled when she responded.

"Yeah, I remember almost everything. Old cases, my youth, college. It came back to me gradually but once you convinced me to talk to Grissom memories just flooded me."

"Because of him?" Warrick needed to know.

She shook her head.

"No, because of me. I think I suppressed a lot of memories because I wanted to cherish what we had somewhat longer but when you forced me to deal with them...They just.. they came back to me. Like I was finally ready."

"Good," he said, yawning. "That's good."

Sara saw how tired he was and realized she was kinda beat herself.

"You should get some sleep."

He knew she was right.

"Yeah, that's probably a smart idea. You want me to drive you home?"

"No," she said. "Your bed is big enough for the two of us, right?"

He had a confused expression on his face.

"Eh, yeah. Why, you wanna stay here?"

"Yes," she said. "Can we do that? can I just stay here and sleep with you? Just sleep, I don't want to leave you just yet."

He shrugged.

"You can stay."

She smiled, reached out her hand and he took it, leading her into his bedroom. Five minutes later she had snuggled up to him, both lying in bed.

"Good night, Sidle."

She smiled, placed a kiss on his chest.

"I won't make you wait long, I promise. Goodnight, Warrick."

They fell asleep, still holding each other.

Tbc...


	9. Waiting forever

Author: Joyce

Title: Better memories

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own them!

Note: A long note this time, answering some of your questions! First of all, **katymoonbeam**, here is the update and sorry it took so long. Jade, my apologies to you too! But now you have to promise the write another chapter of Wake the hope soon! To **Princessbutterfly, **I love Sara's interaction with both Nick and Greg and I think both their friendships deserve their own story, I just wish I had the time to write about it. And a last note to **zoomiesnoopy** who wanted to know why they keep calling each other Sidle and Brown. To me it's an indication of how intimate they are, weird as it sounds. Nobody get's to call her Sidle but he does. You could almost say that Sidle is his way of calling her sweetheart or baby. It probably doesn't make a lot of sense but I still hope I cleared it up for you!Ok, the end of this long note is near but not before thanking you all for reading this story and commenting on it. Keep doing that! Oh, and this is not a very long chapter, it's mostly meant as a prelude for the next chapter.

Waiting forever 

A month, it had been a month. Twenty eight long days since she had told him; "_I won't make you wait long. I promise." _Life had almost returned to normal in the time that had passed, her memory had returned completely a couple of days later and she was determined to get back to work. Starting almost the same day and proving that she was just as dedicated as ever. He noticed the looks again. Every now and then she would watch Grissom, mostly when he wasn't looking at her. He also noticed that this time the looks where returned when she wasn't looking at her boss and he felt almost ill for being the only one to see it.

At night she stood in front of his door though, slept in his arms. Kissed him and whenever he would find the courage to ask her what her decision was, who she wanted to be with, she silenced him with another kiss. A clear sign that indicated that she wasn't ready yet. He began to fear to maybe she would never be ready.

"Hey, Sidle," he said, greeting her with pretended casualty while he walked into the lab where she was processing a piece of wood they found on their crime scene.

She looked up, a warm smile on her face when she saw him. "Warrick, you got to see this."

He took a glance and turned to her, raised eyebrows.

"Is that what I think it is?"

She nodded and he could see her excitement.

"A hair, we may finally have some DNA from the bastard."

He nodded, sharing her hope but he was distracted by the way her eyes shined. Her job had always made her happiest and today was no exception. He wondered if he was ever able to spark the same light in her eyes and the question both scared and bugged him. He had never been the kind of person to wait around patiently and he wanted to get some answers. He needed to know if she could ever be in love with him. He already knew she loved him, she had told him that. He just wanted to hear from her if she loved him like he loved her, completely. Without Grissom standing between them, casting a shadow over them.

"We need to talk," he said. "My place? After shift?"

She nodded, watching him carefully.

"Are you ok?" she asked him, placing her hand on his arm.

He gave her a smile but she didn't feel the familiar shiver, sensed that he was faking it.

"I hope I will be," he confessed before he left her with her evidence. She stayed behind, watching him walk away from her and she saw him stop to talk to Catherine. There was a real smile on his face this time and she fought her sudden jealousy. Fought the urge to yell at the older woman, curse her for taking what was hers. His genuine smile. She was still standing there when Warrick and Catherine had both disappeared around the corridor, analyzing her feelings like she had analyzed the hair she had found. Wondering why she couldn't remember feeling jealous like this before. She sighed and went back to her case but she was haunted by worried green eyes the rest of her shift, afraid of the emptiness she had seen in them.

Several hours later she hesitated before she knocked on his door, something she never felt before. Usually coming here after her shift was the highlight of her day, he would open the door with a smile and she would kiss him and they would watch TV together before she slept in his arms. She was happy with him but she couldn't stop that little voice inside her head that seemed to whisper to her that she wasn't completely at peace yet. She still had to deal with Grissom, in the end she would always have to deal with Grissom. Every now and then Warrick would ask her why she couldn't commit to him fully and she always responded by kissing his pain away, hoping that someday she would have an answer for him. Taking a deep breath she knocked on his door.

"Hey," he greeted her, leaning in the doorway but without the usual smile on his face and the cold fear inside of her intensified.

"Hey," she said back to him, plastering a smile on her face that felt as fake as the one he had given her before.

Warrick said nothing, allowing her to enter his home. The place he had come to think of as their home. He wondered if he would have the courage to go through with this but he knew that he had to no matter how much it pained him to see her so scared, so lost. She needed to come to a decision, even if it would lead her away from him.

"What did you want to talk about?"she asked him, deciding that there was no point delaying the inevitable.

He sat down beside her on the couch, automatically reaching for her hand.

"Us, we need to talk about us."

Her eyes left his and she looked around the room instead.

"I can't, Warrick," she finally whispered. "You know I can't talk about that."

He nodded, indicating that he did know and for a moment she was convinced that the evening would turn out to be the same, that she would be able to kiss his pain away and live in ignorance somewhat longer.

"I know you can't," he continued, "But I can't do this either, Sidle. This is killing me."

She closed her eyes, not wanting to see him because then she would have to deal with the desperation she heard in his voice.

"Don't shut me out, Sara," he demanded. "Not tonight, please."

She reluctantly opened her eyes, staring into his.

"I don't know how to fix this, War," she confessed.

Warrick sighed, took his hand out of hers and stood up.

"I can't wait any longer, Sidle. I just can't."

She said nothing and just watched him as he paced the room. A large part cursed her for not giving in to what she felt. She loved him, she knew that and he was hurting because of her. The new Sara had known what she wanted, she wanted Warrick. Period, no questions asked. But with her memories the old person she had been had resurfaced and she still couldn't figure out which side of her would win.

"What do you want from me?" she inquired quietly.

He stopped pacing, pausing to look at her.

"I want you to go, Sara."

She blinked, not registering what he had said.

"You want me to leave?"

He just nodded, not wanting to tell her again since the words made him feel dead inside.

"Think about want you want. Go to Grissom, talk to Nick or Greg. I don't know, do something to figure it out but stop coming here."

There were tears in her eyes and she stood up to stand in front of him.

"You don't want me here?" she whispered.

His thumbs reached up to take her tears away and he kissed her in a desperate way.

"I'll never not want you near me, Sidle. But you need to figure this out on your own."

"But I need you," Sara said stubbornly, still crying.

"Then go," Warrick replied. "Find out how much you need me."

She shook her head, still not moving.

"I don't think I _can_ leave you."

Warrick tried to ignore the hope that flared up inside him, failing.

"Are you saying you wanna be with me? Really be with me?"

She knew what he was asking her, was she ready to give up Grissom? She hesitated, even though a large part of her was yelling that she was being an idiot. That this man in front of her was enough. He had seen her hesitation though.

"Go," he said. "Please. Figure it out, break my heart or make me the luckiest man alive but don't ask me to spend another night in your arms without really having you. You have no idea how much that hurts me."

She stopped crying, sensing that she needed to do this. For him but also because it was time that she found her peace.

"What if Grissom is the one for me?" she asked him.

He shrugged but she saw how much trouble he had with the simple gesture.

"Then I'll have to deal, at least I'll know something then and so will you."

She nodded, walking to the front door. She stopped before she left, looking back at him.

"You'll wait right? You promised."

"As long as I have to," he replied. " But just promise me one thing; don't come back here before you made your decision."

"I promise," she said, blinking back new tears that threatened to fall and she left his home. Leaving him sitting alone on the couch, hoping that he had made the right decision. He stood up and decided to go to bed. His bed felt empty and for the first time in his life Warrick Brown was terrified. Terrified to be without her.

Tbc...


	10. Going out, being cranky

Author: Joyce

Title: Better Memories

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of CSI. Go figure.

Note: Thank you so much on the huge response for the last chapter. I got 13 reviews! Jade is probably reading this right now, going 'That little!' :) But it meant a lot to me! So, once again, thank you all for reading and commenting. Enjoy the chapter! Oh, and to Jade and Cecile, I had to get this update out of my system but next on my agenda is an update to The Underdog! After I finish the crazy assignment they gave me yesterday...

_Going out, being cranky and making a decision_

Grissom walked through the halls of the lab, Brass behind him.

"I'll meet you in the interrogation room once you find the suspect, ok?"

Brass nodded to indicate that he had heard him and continued his way while Grissom was studying the lab results he had just got from Hodges. He was startled by someone tapping on his shoulder.

"Hey," Sara said. "Can we talk?"

"Sure," he replied somewhat confused before he led her to his office. "What did you want to talk about, Sara?"

She sighed, a sad smile on her face before she spoke up.

"I want to spend some time with you, just you. Outside of the lab."

He blinked, not having expected that. He knew she was with Warrick every night, in fact he had practically given her up thinking that she had made her final decision.

"When?" he asked her.

"As soon as possible," she said. Giving him a small smile, one that was genuine for a change.

He hesitated before he made a decision, he would probably never get a chance like this again and he needed to grab it.

"I can make time for you now."

She raised her eyebrows.

"But you're in the middle of a high profile case, working a double."

He shrugged.

"You're more important , I'll get a replacement."

"Who?" she wanted to know. "Nick, Catherine?"

Grissom shook his head.

"I can't ask them. Nick is at home getting some rest after pulling a double, he should get back in a couple of hours but I can't ask him to supervise a shift for the first time in his condition. And Cath is with her daughter, spending some quality time with her. She's back on shift in seven hours and I don't think she can be persuaded to come sooner."

Sara paled. "So that leaves..."

Grissom nodded.

"He's the only one I trust for the job. With Catherine not here he would have been my first choice regardless of the situation we're in now. Do you mind if I call him?"

Sara closed her eyes, hoping that he would forgive her but she knew she had to to this. For him, she needed to make a decision and she needed to spend some time with Grissom to do that.

"Call him," she said.

He did, dialing the familiar number.

* * *

Warrick was saved from his restless attempt to sleep by the phone ringing.

"Brown," he greeted the person on the other end of the line.

He was not surprised to hear Grissom's voice. It was the question that surprised him.

"You want me to supervise shift? Now?"

He listened to Grissom's explanation, briefly wondering what could be so important to make him leave work in the middle of a shift.

"Fine," he eventually mumbled. "But you owe me one and you better hope Ellie Brass is not in town. I'll be there in half an hour."

Warrick sighed, not at all pleased with the idea of having to supervise a shift. But at least it would be better then being in his bed without her.

* * *

Back at the lab Grissom hung up the phone, turning to Sara.

"He's coming, he should be here in thirty minutes."

She nodded before she stood up.

"I'll wait in the break room for you. I don't want him seeing me here with you. It would hurt him and I don't want to do that."

She left his office, leaving Grissom to contemplate the thought of spending some time with her. He was going to make sure she would never forget tonight. He quickly assembled the notes he had made on the case they were working on. Sorting them out in a logical way, making sure that Warrick wouldn't have trouble getting up to speed. He also send a memo to the lab personal, making sure they knew who their boss was for the rest of the shift. He had just finished his job when Warrick appeared in his office, looking tired.

"You rang, master?" he said sarcastically.

Grissom nodded, motioning for him to take a seat while he explained the case to him.

"Brass is bringing in a suspect as we speak," he finished. "I think he's breaking down, you should be able to crack him during the interrogation."

Warrick raised his eyebrows, confused by the whole matter.

"Why are you leaving when you're about to break a hot case?"

Grissom shrugged, not getting into it.

"It's personal," he just said and Warrick felt a feeling of dread coming over him. Before he could ask his boss some more Grissom stood up and left the office. "Make me proud, Warrick," was his last advice to him.

Warrick tried to read the notes Grissom had left, rubbing his temples. He eventually sighed, getting up.

"If I'm going to survive this shift I need a lot of coffee," he mumbled. He rounded the corner towards the break room, swinging open the door and stopped dead in his tracks when he almost bumped into two people coming out of the room.

"Grissom...Sara," he finished.

They both looked uncomfortable, with Sara avoiding his eyes.

"You wanted me to take over shift so you could spend some time with _her_?" Warrick asked, barely hiding the hurt and anger he felt.

Grissom avoided the subject, grabbing Sara's hand and walking past him.

"We really have to go, Warrick. I'm sorry," he added.

The younger man just nodded, dumbfounded and tried to look Sara in the eyes who was still looking everywhere but at him.

"Have a nice time," he eventually whispered.

Sara looked at him then, trying very hard not to cry seeing the expression on his face. She didn't want to do this. She wanted to stay here, with him, but she needed to silence the voice of doubt in her head first. She let Grissom drag her past him and looked back one last time to see him standing on the same spot, a lost look in his eyes. It was a sight that would haunt her for the rest of the evening.

* * *

Some time later Nick entered Greg's lab.

"Hey Greggo, did I miss anything the last couple of hours?"

Greg barely looked up, engrossed in his work.

"We still haven't cracked the case," he just said.

Nick watched him, finding his behavior rather strange.

"What has gotten you so worked up?"

Greg finally looked up, whispering to him.

"Warrick took over shift and he's rather...cranky to say the least."

Nick was just about to ask one of his many questions when the subject of their conversation walked in.

"We don't have time for coffee breaks, Greg. Stop talking and do something!"

Nick turned towards his friend.

"Where's Grissom and why did he gave you shift?"

Warrick's facial expression softened somewhat when he noticed Nick standing with Greg.

"Grissom's out on the town," he eventually grumbled. "And I'm the lucky guy to take over his job." He left the lab, slamming the door behind him.

Nick turned back to Greg with a 'what the hell?' look on his face. The young lab tech shrugged.

"Don't ask me. I told you, he's not a happy camper."

Following him out of the lab Nick found his friend in Grissom's office. Resting his head on his arms, looking very much like his world had just ended.

"What's the matter, Rick?" he asked him gently.

Warrick looked up.

"He's with her, you know? And the funny thing is, I told her to do that. I kicked her out of my house and drove her to him!"

"Grissom is with Sara?" Nick clarified, now understanding the grave mood of the man sitting before him.

"Yep," Warrick said, laughing. Although it was a bitter laugh. "And I'm handling it so well, except that I'm not. I thought I could you know...But seeing them leaving together.."

He trailed of before he found his composure back.

"He grabbed her hand, Nick. And she let him... I'm trying to do my job here but I can't seem to shake that damn image out of my head."

Nick took a seat on the edge of the desk.

"It will work out, I promise."

"Yeah, I'm sure it will," Warrick snorted. "Because hey, what's a couple of weeks compared to the crush she's had on him since she was what? 19?"

Nick laughed and that clearly surprised the other man who had a confused look on his face.

"What?" he asked.

"I never thought I'd see the day that Warrrick Brown would fall apart over a woman," Nick confessed, still laughing somewhat. Warrick just gave him a glare and he continued. "You know what, you said it yourself just then. It's a crush and she will figure it out and come back to you."

Nick stood up, wanting to check on his evidence. Which he had left with Hodges before he went of shift.

"How can you be so sure?" Warrick asked him before he could go.

Nick lingered in the doorway.

"What you two have together, that's not a crush. That's love, man."

He left Warrick sitting in the office, studying his notes and slowly the first real smile of the day crept on his face.

* * *

Sara and Grissom were sitting in a romantic restaurant, one that Grissom had picked out. The candles were lit and there was an awkward silence surrounding them.

"So," Grissom eventually said. "Do you like the restaurant?"

"It's good," she replied, glancing up with a polite smile on her face. "The food is nice."

"Right," he said, silence falling upon them again. He broke it again. "How are you, Sara?"

She was watching him with an confused expression on her face.

"What do you mean?"

He ran his hand trough his hair, trying to give her an encouraging smile.

"You had a rough couple of months, with the accident and losing your memory. That must have taken it's toll on you. I just wanted to know if you feel good."

She contemplated the question, thinking back on the last couple of months.

"It wasn't easy," she eventually admitted. "But he made it so much better." Grissom's smile vanished when he noticed the far away look in her eyes.

"And how are you now?" he asked her, trying to change the subject.

"I'm good," she said, a happy smile on her face. "I feel strong and I'm back to my old level at work. Everything is going well."

He nodded, taking a bite of his fish.

"You can always take time of if you want to. You know that, right?"

She actually laughed by now.

"Picture that," she said still grinning and the sentence caused that dreadful image to return. The image of two sad green eyes that she had been seeing all night.

Grissom sighed, putting down his fork.

"You've already made your decision, Sara. You know that, you just need to deal with it."

She responded with her eyebrows raised, almost resentful.

"What makes you say that?"

"Because even though we're here alone, he's with us," he said, seeing her turning red before he continued. "With you."

Her eyes returned to her plate and she started playing with her food using her knife.

"It's ok, Sara," he told her and she looked up. "I just want you to be happy. Both of you."

There were tears in her eyes.

"I always thought you were it, you know? It kinda hurts to say goodbye to you."

"You don't have to," he said, grabbing her hand. "I'm still your boss, your friend. Besides, can you imagine saying goodbye to him?"

She shook her head, her eyes big.

"No," she whispered. "I could never do that."

"Then let the past go," he advised her while taking a sip of his wine. "And be happy."

She stood up in the middle of the restaurant and gave him a hug.

"You're a good man, Gil Grissom," she whispered in his ear and she left him sitting there. Almost running out of the restaurant.

He watched her go.

"Goodbye, Sara," he said to himself, a sad look on his face.

* * *

Warrick opened the door of his home, feeling exhausted. They had finally broke the case two hours ago with the suspect confessing and he had dragged himself through the paperwork before coming home. He sighed, knowing that he had to make the call.

"Hey, it's Warrick," he said. "I'm just calling to apologize. I acted like a total jerk tonight and took a lot out on you. You didn't deserve that."

He listened to the response on the other side of the line, breaking down into laughter.

"Don't push it, Sanders. I said I was sorry not stupid. You're not getting my parking place."

Warrick rolled his eyes and laughed some more when he was interrupted by a knock on his door.

"Gotta go, Greggo. I have company."

She was standing on his doorstep, a huge smile on her face.

"I made a decision," Sara told him.

Tbc...


	11. Creating new memories

Author: Joyce

Title: Better memories

Disclaimer: I do not own Warrick and Sara, sadly. Who would have guessed, huh?

Note: I want to thank anybody who took the time to read and comment on this story. I never expected such a huge response and it has been great to read all of your comments. This is the last chapter of this story, I felt it was time to finish it. Beware, I love happy endings so this could be a little to sweet for some of you. What can I say? Sue me if you don't like it : )

I am planning on starting a new W/S story simply because this couple stole my heart and I love writing about them. So look out for more coming your way soon!

And lastly, another big thank you to all of you! You guys rock!

Creating new memories

"I made a decision," Sara told him and Warrick's heart stopped for a second before he stepped aside to let her in.

"That was fast," he said to her, his voice sounding calm and collected and he briefly wondered how he was able to do that since he was anything but calm on the inside.

She hung up her coat, her back to him when she admitted;

"It wasn't that hard, I've known all along who I wanted to be with. I was just scared."

He briefly closed his eyes but when she turned around there was no sign of his inner struggle and he gave her a weak smile.

"Dinner was that good, huh?" he asked her.

Sara nodded, seeing that he was scared and she decided to have fun with him for a little while.

"Yeah," she mumbled. "They had a killer vegetarian salad."

His brows furrowed in confusion.

"Right," he managed to choke out and his confusion grew when she broke out laughing.

"A lot is going to change, Warrick," she then told him out of nowhere.

He sat down on the couch and she immediately followed to sit next to him.

"Like what?" he finally asked her, feeling like she was playing a game with him that he didn't know the rules of.

"Well, for one thing, a part of the lab is going to be devastated." There was a huge grin that accompanied her statement and he couldn't help but smile back before he asked her another question.

"Why?"

"Because you're of the market," she said to him, slowly seeing a real smile spreading on his face, one that warmed her heart.

"I am?" he asked her, knowing that he was asking a hell of a lot of questions but he needed to be sure. She just nodded, a look in her eyes that eliminated his last doubts.

Her next words were acoompanied with a wink and a sultry smile.

"I'm not sharing you with anybody so you better tell those women to back of."

He pretended to think about it, slowly nodding.

"Fine, but then you gotta do the same for me. I don't want Sanders standing here on my doorstep declaring his love for you."

She broke out laughing.

"Picture that," she said for the second time that night and she was beginning to wonder whose trademark sentence it was, his or hers.

Warrick rolled his eyes.

"The scary thing is.. Yes, I can," he admitted to her before he too started to laugh.

They were silent when she grabbed his hand and squeezed it.

"I'm sorry it took me so long to realize that it was you all along," she whispered and his hand reached up to brush some hair out of her face.

"That's ok," he reassured her. "I'm just glad you finally came to your senses."

She rolled her eyes at his cocky statement.

"This must have been hard," she then analyzed. "A womanizer like yourself, having to wait for me to finally get a clue and pick you."

"I'm not a womanizer, Sidle," he told her and he even believed his own words.

Sara laughed yet again, even more when she noticed the annoyed look on his face.

"I've seen you strutting along in that lab. You snap your fingers and they come running."

"Yes," Warrick said sarcastically while standing up from the couch, "I mean, look at you. It took me four years and you had to lose your memory but then I snapped my fingers and wham, there you were!"

She walked over to him, wrapping her arms around his waist while giving him her most innocent smile.

"But that is why you love me, Brown. I'm special."

He could only agree with her.

"That you are," he whispered before he kissed her.

"I'm also a slow learner," she told him several minutes later and Warrick gave her a look that sent shivers down her spine.

"That's ok," he mumbled while kissing her neck. "I can do slow."

Several images flashed before her eyes and she decided that she had waited long enough.

"Show me," she said, her voice a little husky.

He led her to his bedroom, never taking his eyes of hers.

"I love you," he admitted to her before he lowered her on the bed.

"Good," she whispered between kisses. "I love you too."

A couple of hours later Sara woke up to find him laying beside her, very awake and watching her.

"You're gorgeous, Sidle" he said in a low voice that made the hairs in the back of her neck stand up.

Her hand reached out and she entwined her fingers with his.

"You look pretty decent too... Sometimes," she told him with a straight face.

He gave her a glare that sent her into a fit of giggles that only intensified when he started tickling her.

"Fine," she eventually said, giving up. "You're gorgeous too."

He smiled a proud smile.

"Thank you," he beamed down at her. "That is all I needed to hear."

They were silent, just holding each other when he pulled back somewhat so he could look at her.

"Why did you pick me over the love of your life?" he wanted to know since that had been on his mind since she had told him she wanted to be with him. "He was your whole world," he continued.

She was silent for a while, searching for a sign of jealousy or insecurity in his eyes but she found nothing, just genuine curiosity.

"You said it right," she told him with little sigh. "He _was _my whole world."

He said nothing, silently asking her to carry on and she gave him a short kiss before she continued;

"I was sitting there tonight, in that fancy restaurant with Grissom sitting across the table from me giving me his full attention and I was thinking about all these memories we shared together when it suddenly dawned on me..."

She trailed of, not knowing how to continue so that he would understand what she was trying to say.

"What dawned on you, sweetie?" Warrick asked her gently.

She continued;

"It dawned on me that these memories weren't what I always thought they were. I used to commit every moment with Grissom to my memory, giving them a special place, putting them on a pedestal and tonight I finally realized that you had given me better memories when I wasn't even trying to commit them to my memory. They have a special place here and here," she told him, gesturing to her mind and her heart, "because these moments were already special when we created them together, not because I decided they had to be after the event."

She saw something glistening in his eyes and stopped talking.

"Are you crying?" she asked him teasingly.

"No," he said, shaking his head in a way that he hoped was manly and indifferent but then he caved in when he saw the grin that was still on her face. "Maybe a little bit," he confessed.

She gave him another kiss, pulling back a while later.

"Did you get what I was trying to say?"

"Yeah," he said, nodding and smiling. "I think I do, Sidle."

"Good," she told him, pulling him closer. "So remember that, he was a big part of my life but you gave me better memories and that is why I love you so much."

He shrugged.

"I can live with that," he said jokingly and he rolled her over so she was on her back with him pinning her down on the bed.

"You wanna make some more memories?" he asked her, waggling his eyebrows and she answered by pulling him towards her and kissing him, ready to spend a lifetime with him that was filled with better memories.

The End.


End file.
